Passport applications in Japan rose to approximately 530,000 in July, 1.6 times the volume recorded a year earlier, following a reduction in passport fees that took effect on July 1, according to a Foreign Ministry official cited in a Thursday report.
Japan passport applications rose 1.6 times in July after fee cuts took effect
Passport applications in Japan rose to approximately 530,000 in July, 1.6 times the volume recorded a year earlier, following a reduction in passport fees that took effect on July 1, according to a Foreign Ministry official cited in a Thursday report.
Applications in the first three days of July were about 3.3 times higher than during the same three-day period a year earlier, the Foreign Ministry official said.
The ministry had initially expected the fee reduction to push processing times to roughly one month, but it now says issuance is likely to take about three weeks.
Starting July 1, Japanese nationals aged 18 or older can apply online for a 10-year passport at a fee of ¥8,900, down from ¥15,900 previously. Children can apply online for a five-year passport at ¥4,400, down from ¥10,900.
- The source does not state the total number of passport applications in July of the prior year for direct comparison.
- The source does not identify the Thursday report or outlet through which this information was learned.
- The source does not state whether the three-week processing estimate applies uniformly across all application types or regions.
- The source does not indicate how the fee reduction was authorized or what body approved it.
Read the original at The Japan Times