Pedestrians are seen behind artificial cherry blossom decorations at a shopping district in Tokyo, Japan, March 22, 2022. Photo by Reuters
The number of Thais staying in Japan has increased sharply in recent years, raising concerns about a possible suspension of the visa-free travel policy from the Northeast Asian country.
The number of Thais arrested for overstaying after entering Japan under a visa waiver program increased from 8,688 in 2021 to 11,472 in 2023, Bangkok Post reported citing a source from the Ministry of Consular Affairs.
Reports highlight that the Japanese government has urged Thailand to quickly address the issue, warning that the visa waiver policy could be abandoned by 2025 if it is not resolved. The Tiger reported.
Chotechuang Soorangura, vice president of the Thai Association of Travel Agents, said the number of overstayers was relatively low, accounting for less than 2% of the total 995,500 Thai outbound tourists in 2023 .
90,600 Thais visited Japan in January, while 74,205 Japanese visited Thailand during the same period, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.
Since July 2013, Japan has offered a visa waiver to Thai visitors in order to revive its tourism industry after the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster.
This policy was temporarily paused during the pandemic but reinstated in October 2022.
