It's Official! Visa Exemption for Malaysian visitors to Japan

Helllooo!!!

Aku rasa semua orang dah tau kot yang pasal pelancong Malaysia dah dikecualikan visa untuk masuk ke negara Matahari Terbit nih. Hari ni dah memang confirm tak perlukan visa untuk masuk. Maka, boleh la aku beli tiket ke Jepun skang! Apa lagi, jom la serbu website Airasia! 

Antara kandungan Press Release yang dikeluarkan oleh Japan National Tourism Organization... 

Singapore, 14 June 2013 – The Japanese Government has announced on 11 June 2013 that visa application procedures will be exempted for Malaysian passport holders. This would mean that Malaysian passport holders would no longer have to apply for a visa to enter Japan in coming months. The effective date of the implementation and the length of stay without visa will be announced soon.

The announcement on visa exemption on Malaysian passports spells positive news to Malaysian travelers as it is now more hassle-free to travel to Japan. Travelers can now choose to travel to Japan at an even shorter notice, without having to allocate time to apply for a travelling visa. The ease of travel will certainly boost numbers of tourist visits, as well as tourist package sales to Japan.

We spoke to the President of ASEANTA (ASEAN Tourism Association), Dato Mohd Khalid Harun, about the visa exemption initiative. He mentioned that the initiative will lead to a marked increase in tourist arrivals to Japan from ASEAN countries. He also expressed his thanks to the initiative, “As President of ASEANTA, it is very good to hear that Japan is easing travel restrictions for citizens from ASEAN countries. On behalf of MATTA and ASEANTA, I would like to say, ‘Thank you for the welcome news.’”

The CEO of AirAsia X, Mr. Azran Osman-Rani, is thrilled to hear of the good news too. He feels that the initiative “would further allow our fellow Malaysian guests greater access to Japan” and that it would “increase tourist traffic from Malaysia and passenger growth to the country”.

Mr. Motonari Adachi, the Executive Director of the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) Singapore adds on that the visa exemption would contribute to an increase in tourist arrivals to Japan. He mentioned that the visa waiver would serve as a good opportunity for JNTO to draw more visitors to Japan, and to look out for upcoming major promotional campaigns.

The numbers in Malaysian visitor arrivals to Japan have been consistently on the rise since January 2013. 14700 Malaysian visitors went to Japan in April 2013. The figures for Malaysian tourist arrivals from January to April 2013 went up by 13.7% as compared to the corresponding months in 2012. An estimated total of 130,300 Malaysian visitors went to Japan in year 2012.The potential for growth in outbound tourism to Japan is apparent for Malaysia. With the visa waiver and the yen depreciation, total Malaysian visitor arrivals are expected to hit above 160,000 in 2013. 

Walaupun aku tak sempat nak dapatkan sticker comel melekat kat passport aku, tapi sekurang-kurangnya aku tak perlu dah bersusah-payah sediakan dokumen, sediakan duit dalam bank ataupun pinjam sedara-mara untuk cukupkan atleast RM6k. Nampaknya impiam nak jumpa Doraemon, Ultraman, Sailormoon, Detective Conan bakal tercapai. Aminnnn... 

Arigato gozaimas! See u in Japan ya'll! Konichiwa...

More info ---> Japan National Tourism Organisation