Japanese Get 3-Year Visas

KHMER TIMES
MAY KUNMAKARA

Japanese businessmen wait to cross a street in front of an electronic board displaying share prices in Tokyo. Cambodia hopes to attract them to the country with three-year visas. Reuters

The government decided yesterday to offer a three-year, multiple-entry visa for Japanese nationals to facilitate and attract more investment and tourists.

The decision was made by Prime Minister Hun Sen during the 5th year anniversary of Minibea, a Japanese motor assembly plant at Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone.

It came shortly after he gave the same approval for China and South Korea.

The prime minister said that with rising investment from Japan in Cambodia – and the launch of direct flights between Tokyo and Phnom Penh – the long-term visa for Japanese businessmen and tourists would add to the convenience.

“A few days ago we decided to offer a three-year visa to China and Korea. Now, we have agreed to offer the same three-year visa so that Japanese investors get a visa stamp only once. They can use it for a three-year period to come in and out of Cambodia and adding the direct flight is more convenience,” said Mr. Hun Sen.

In September, All Nippon Airways started direct flights from Tokyo’s Narita Airport to Phnom Penh International Airport. The airway operates one flight per day, seven days a week.

“I am confident that the direct daily flights between Phnom Penh and Tokyo will bring our bilateral relations to an entirely new level. There will be a lot more people travelling between our two countries, regardless of the purpose of their visits,” said Japanese Ambassador Yuji Kunamaru.

“Cambodia is not only a fascinating tourism destination, it is also garnering global attention for its high potential for economic growth, so we look forward to welcoming both leisure and business passengers on our flights to and from Cambodia.”

Mey Kalyan, senior adviser of the Supreme National Economic Council of Cambodia, welcomed the new initiative which would boost investment. However, he said the country’s poor infrastructure and logistics will be a concern among investors.

“The question is how they can do business if we don’t have good logistics. We don’t have expressways or highways to facilitate their logistic needs.”

Japanese tourist arrivals to Cambodia stand seventh out of all tourist arrivals to the Kingdom. The number of Japanese arrivals rose 0.3 percent to 90,877 in the first half of 2016 compared with the same period last year.

In 2015, arrivals fell 10.4 percent to 193,330 from 215,788 a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Tourism.

The Council for Development of Cambodia says cumulative investment since 1994 from Japan reached more than $400 million as of June last year.

Cambodia’s exports to Japan rose 32.7 percent to $565 million in the first half of this year, from $425 million over the same period last year while imports from Japan rose only by 0.9 percent to $134 million in the first half of the year.