Japan’s visa fee jump to hit Chinese tourists hardest, adding friction to tense ties

Chinese tourists are expected to be among the hardest hit by Japan’s fivefold visa fee increase, a move analysts warned could further strain already tense relations between Beijing and Tokyo.For the first time since 1978, the Japanese government has decided to raise visa fees. The cost of a single-entry visa will increase from 3,000 yen (US$18.54) to 15,000 yen, while multiple-entry visas will jump from 6,000 yen to 30,000 yen.The new policy, which will come into effect on July 1, has been widely seen as Tokyo’s response to inflation and the yen’s depreciation. The change will bring Japan’s visa fees closer to the levels of its developed counterparts, including those in Europe.