Russian visa center in Japan resumes work, after closing due to pandemic

TOKYO, October 21. /TASS/. The Russian Visa Center in Tokyo, suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, resumed operations this week, the center said on its website. The center resumed its work on October 20 and began accepting applications for visas of all categories with no restrictions on the purpose of travel from Japanese citizens and foreign citizens permanently residing in Japan. The visa application center noted that when boarding, foreign citizens must provide a certificate of a negative PCR test, done three days or less before arrival in Russia. It is also emphasized that entry into the territory of Russia for residents of Japan is possible only by direct flights from Japan. As part of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the Russian Visa Application Center in Tokyo will operate by appointment only. Regular flights between Russia and Japan will be restored from November 1, 2020. In late December 2019, Chinese officials informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus - named COVID-19 by the WHO - have been reported in every corner of the globe, including Russia. On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. Read more