Struggling to Secure a Japan Visa? Explore the PH Instead, Malacañang Says

(SPOT.ph) If your Japan visa application is stuck in limbo, the Malacañang Palace has a rather simple suggestion: travel local—for now.

During a press briefing on January 20, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro acknowledged reports of Filipinos struggling to secure Japan visa appointments, with some applicants even having to travel outside Metro Manila to book slots due to limited availability. She said the issue has already been raised with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), which is coordinating with concerned parties.

While the bottleneck gets sorted out, she is nudging travelers to explore local tourist spots in the meantime—both to make use of planned vacation time and to support domestic tourism.

"Pansamantala, habang sila ay naghihintay ng kanilang visa na i-issue ng bansang Japan— ito nama’y kanilang polisiya at iginagalang natin ito—pero hangga’t habang sila’y naghihintay, mas maganda po sigurong i-explore ng ating mga kababayan ang Pilipinas," Castro said. "I-angat din natin ang turismo ng Pilipinas at kung sila ay kikita dahil sa travel tax at kikitain ng mga tourism agencies, mas kikita rin po sila kung iaangat nila ang turismo ng Pilipinas."

Also read: Apply for a Japanese Visa Months Before Travel, Embassy Advises

The backlog has gotten so bad that some travelers are resorting to highly inconvenient workarounds. With the next available appointments reportedly already filled until April, some Filipinos have had to go as far as Cebu or Davao simply to lodge their Japan visa applications—before any actual travel plans can move forward.

According to the Global Tourism Business Association (GTBA), Filipino travel to Japan continued to rise in early 2025, with an estimated 211,200 arrivals in the first quarter alone.

But what’s causing the bottleneck in the first place? It’s not a sudden change in Japan’s visa rules, but a squeeze in appointment slots. GTBA has pointed to limited daily slots being released by authorized visa processors, including VFS Global, making it difficult for applicants to even submit their documents. Demand has also surged—Japan remains one of the most popular destinations for Filipino travelers, especially with the yen staying relatively weak at P0.37 to P0.38 per Y1 as of writing.
 
"Due to the increasing number of applications, it may take several weeks to process an application for a tourist visa. Therefore, we recommend that you apply well ahead of your travel date. At the same time, the Embassy will continue to make efforts to expedite the process, once the application is submitted by the Visa Center to the Embassy," the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines said on its official website.

Also read: How to Apply for a Japan Visa at the New Visa Application Center