Wealthy Chinese visitors can soon fly solo in Japan

Chinese tourists to Japan, who were once required to travel in groups, will soon be able to visit on their own as Japan begins handing individual visas to Chinese citizens this summer.

But the relaxation in visa policy only targets people in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou who earn at least 250,000 yuan ($36,600) a year, Shanghai-based Xinmin Evening News reported yesterday.

Japanese media estimated the measure could encourage 250,000 more tourists from the Chinese mainland to visit Japan, up from a yearly average of 1 million.