Japan lodged a protest with China over the suspension of visas for Japanese citizens and asked that it overturn the action, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Wednesday.
"It is regrettable that China unilaterally has taken visa suspension action for reasons other than steps for (tackling) the coronavirus," Matsuno said during a regular news conference.
China's move came after Japan toughened COVID-19 border control rules for travelers coming directly from China, including a requirement for a negative PCR test result less than 72 hours before departure, amid a surge of cases and fears that a new virus variant could emerge there.