Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno [자료사진: 연합뉴스 제공]
The Japanese government expressed regret over China’s suspension of visa issuance to Japanese nationals and demanded that it be withdrawn.
At a press conference, Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno, Chief Cabinet Secretary, said, “It is extremely regrettable that China has restricted visa issuance for reasons other than countermeasures against Corona 19.”
Previously, Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa told reporters during a visit to Argentina that he had protested China’s decision to stop issuing Japanese visas and demanded that they be withdrawn.
China has temporarily suspended the issuance of ordinary visas to China for Japanese nationals since yesterday.
Since the 30th of last month, the Japanese government has been requiring travelers arriving from mainland China to submit a negative certificate within 72 hours prior to departure, and is conducting a COVID-19 test upon entry.
Kyodo News reported a case where a visa application was rejected at a Chinese visa issuance service center in Koto-ku, Tokyo.
The service center announced that it would accept visa applications for humanitarian purposes, such as death and critical illness in the family, but a woman in her 60s who was trying to apply for the purpose of visiting her parents in their 90s living in China who were infected with Corona 19 said, “There is no proof of critical condition.” It is reported that the application was rejected.
Kyodo News reported that the woman raised her voice, saying, “How can I prove that I am in critical condition?”