Reciprocal response! China increases visa fees for Japan! On September 11, the Chinese Embassy in Japan issued a notice regarding adjustments to visa fees for Japan. In accordance with the principle of reciprocity in visa charges, starting from September 14, 2026, the visa fee for Japanese citizens applying to visit China will be adjusted. Why are we raising visa fees? The fundamental reason is that Japan has directly increased its visa fees for entry into Japan by five times, effective July 1.
At the time, the Japanese government claimed the price hike applied to all foreign applicants requiring visas, not specifically targeting China. But what’s the reality? The truth is that citizens from many countries such as the U.S., UK, and Canada enjoy visa-free access and were therefore unaffected by this increase. Meanwhile, mainland China is the largest group receiving visas from Japan. Thus, the impact of Japan's visa fee hike hits Chinese nationals the hardest.
We don’t need to delve deeply into Japan’s motives. However, this time we specifically raised visa fees for Japanese applicants visiting China—targeting only Japan—and the message is very clear: if Japan unilaterally raises the cost of documentation for our people, we will respond in kind and will not unilaterally accept unfair treatment.
In practice, single-entry visas have been increased by approximately 7.4 times, while multiple-entry visas valid for one year have risen by about 6.7 times. Overall, the cost for Japanese citizens traveling to China now exceeds that for Chinese citizens visiting Japan. Looking deeper, perhaps we are also sending a signal to Japan: any unfriendly signals or provocative actions directed at us will come with consequences. If Japan creates obstacles for people-to-people exchanges between our two nations, then we won’t hesitate to act in response.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1876022298973194/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.