To come into force, the proposal must still be approved by Parliament. The system will have a fee payable and will be appliedoa countries that currently do not require a visa for short stays.
The Japanese government approved on Tuesday a proposal to create an electronic travel authorization system for citizens of countries that currently do not require a visa for short stays, including Portugal and Brazil.
To come into force, the proposal must still be approved by Parliament (where the government coalition holds an absolute majority in the lower house, the most important), according to the Japanese news agency .
The system, inspired by the Electronic System for Travel Authorization in the United States, will have a fee to pay and will be applied to visitors and tourists from 74 countries exempt from short-stay visas.
The list includes Portugal, Brazil and Chinese regions of Hong Kong and Macauas well as some of the biggest tourist markets for Japan: South Korea, Taiwan and the United States.
The Government will require airlines to deny boarding to travelers who do not have an electronic authorization.
Visit Japan for less than 90 days
People who visit Japan for less than 90 days must provide personal information online, as well as the purpose of the trip and the place of accommodation.
According to authorities, the system aims to prevent illegal work and terrorism.
Additionally, the proposal includes a significant increase in visa renewal fees for foreign residents and for permanent residency applications.
According to Kyodo, the current base fee for renewing temporary residence visas is six thousand yen (33 euros) and ten thousand yen (55 euros) for permanent residence applications.
The proposed change raises the maximum renewal fee for temporary visas to 100,000 yen (546 euros) and for permanent residence to 300,000 yen (1,637 euros).
“By requiring foreigners to bear a fair share of the costs necessary for the equitable management of entry, exit and residence, we intend to further strengthen and expand measures aimed at achieving an orderly and inclusive society,” explained Japanese Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi at a press conference, quoted by public broadcaster NHK.
According to Kyodo, if the change is approved by Parliament, the new visa fees will come into force later this yearwhile the JESTA system will only come into effect in the 2028 fiscal year, which starts in April 2028 and runs until May 2029.
The Conservative Government had already proposed a package of measures at the end of January to tighten immigration laws, including stricter requirements for obtaining Japanese citizenship.
In addition to having received in 2025 a record number of 42.6 million touristsJapan had almost four million foreign residents.
The largest foreign community came from China, while Brazilians represented the sixth largest.
Sectors of Japanese society criticized what they consider excessive permissiveness on the part of the authorities, which translated into electoral gains for openly xenophobic parties.
