Japan Eases Visa Requirements for Korean Tourists

The Japanese government recently offered various enticements to attract as many Korean tourists as possible.

It announced that it will allow a 15-day, single entry visa for those who visit Okinawa from this month.

In essence, the visa is automatically given on the spot for Koreans once they show their passports at a travel agency.

Moreover, from Okinawa people can move to mainland Japan with no further visa application, which guarantees easier tour programs.

The sub-tropical island of Okinawa is about 2 hours 10 minutes away from Seoul by plane and is already a popular tourist and honeymoon spot.

A source from the Okinawa tourism bureau said, 'Previously, many newly-weds had given up their plans for Okinawa due to the complicated visa process. With the package price of $500 for 3 days, we would like to introduce more Koreans here.'

As of August, 700,000 Koreans have visited Japan this year, a 31.6 percent increase over the same period of 1998.

Bong Hwa-shik:trojans@joongang.co.kr