Is the Japanese government planning to revoke the visa-free travel policy for Thai nationals? No, that's not true: While discussions have taken place between the immigration departments of both nations concerning matters such as illegal immigration and overstays, there is no indication that Japan plans to abolish the visa waiver program for Thai nationals specifically.
The claim originated from a video (archived here) posted on TikTok by @wangjudth_channel on March 13, 2024. The caption (translated from Thai to English by Lead Stories staff) reads:
Japan will cancel the free visa for Thai people in 2025 if Thailand cannot solve the problem of illegal immigrants.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Fri Mar 15 10:10:44 2024 UTC)
The assertion made in the TikTok video suggested that the Japanese government had cautioned Thailand regarding illegal immigration. It purported that if Thailand fails to address this issue, Japan will revoke visa-free travel for Thai citizens in 2025. After the circulation of this claim, CH3 News (archived here) sought validation from the Department of Consular Affairs, who confirmed that Japan had not announced any intention to cancel the visa-free arrangement.
According to the Embassy of Japan in Thailand (archived here), holders of Thai passports are permitted to travel to Japan for a short stay of up to 15 days without needing a visa. Numerous individuals in Thailand have used this visa-waiver program to visit Japan, with some subsequently overstaying their visas for extended periods to engage in illegal work. Since 2021, the number of illegal immigrants (archived here) has surged from 8,688 to 11,472 in 2024.
On January 30, 2024, officials from the Immigration Department and the Director General of the Department of Consular Affairs (archived here) engaged in discussions with Keiichi Iwamoto, the Director General of the Immigration Department in Japan. The purpose of these discussions was to facilitate the exchange of information between the two nations to tackle the issue at hand. During these discussions, there was no mention or consideration of canceling the visa-free program.
It's worth noting that the agreement between Japan and Thailand is set to expire in 2025 (archived here). Whether this agreement will be extended or not depends on the Japanese government.
