New Japanese visa centers open in Russia to meet high travel demand

MOSCOW - The Japanese Embassy in Russia recently opened one visa application center each in Moscow and St. Petersburg to cope with the rapidly increasing number of people traveling to Japan from Russia.

Last year's aggregate arrivals nearly doubled from 2024 to a record high of 194,900, according to Japan National Tourism Organization data. The sharp rise was believed to be driven by the ease of obtaining visas and affordability due to the weak yen.