Japan Visas Issued to Indians in 2025: Official MOFA Numbers

MOFA released the numbers in a press release dated 23 June 2026, backed by a statistics PDF broken down by nationality. This page explains what the Indian figure measures, what it cannot tell you, and how the system behind it works for applicants in India today. Fees, offices and timings are as published on the official sources, checked on 15 October 2026. For the step-by-step application route, see our Japan visa guide for Indian passport holders.

What exactly does the 265,882 figure count?

It is a count of visas issued, sorted by the nationality of the holder, across every Japanese embassy and consulate in the world during calendar year 2025. Three things follow from that definition.

• Every visa type is included. Tourist, short-term business, visiting-relatives, transit, medical-stay and long-term visas based on a Certificate of Eligibility (students, engineers and other workers) sit in the same total. The headline Indian figure does not split them by purpose.
• It counts visas, not trips. One multiple-entry visa can cover several journeys, and Japan offers Indians a whole family of them, from MULTIPLE 1 (two or more trips to Japan in the last three years) to MULTIPLE 7 (spouse or children of an employment-visa holder).
• It is not limited to India. Indians who live abroad apply to the Japanese embassy or consulate for their country of residence, not to a mission in India. An Indian working in the Gulf or in Europe who got a Japanese visa there is part of the same 265,882.

Why do so many Indians appear in Japan's visa statistics?

Part of the answer is structural. Indian passport holders cannot enter Japan without a visa. India is not among the 74 countries and regions with which Japan has visa-exemption arrangements (MOFA list dated 1 September 2025), and MOFA states that visas are issued only at Japanese embassies and consulates abroad, never on arrival.

So every Indian visitor, whether a tourist, a conference delegate, a student or an engineer, generates a visa. Travellers from visa-exempt countries need no visa for short stays, so their holiday trips never enter the visa count. That is why the ranking is a measure of visa volume, not a like-for-like league table of travel demand or of how easy applications are.

Does MOFA publish a refusal rate for Indian applicants?

No. MOFA publishes the number of visas issued by nationality, but no refusal or rejection rate for Indian applicants. The 265,882 figure is therefore not an approval rate, and you cannot turn it into one: without the number of applications lodged, there is nothing to divide by.

What MOFA does publish are the refusal rules, and they matter more to you than any national total:

• MOFA does not give the specific reason for a refusal.
• A new application for the same purpose is not accepted within six months of a refusal, unless circumstances have changed significantly and travel is needed on humanitarian grounds.

A six-month lock-out after a refusal means a complete first file is worth far more than knowing how many other Indians succeeded.

Which Japanese visas were Indians applying for?

MOFA's Indian total is not split by type, but the routes open to Indians in 2026 are clear. Each is lodged through a VFS Japan Visa Application Centre, which passes the file to the Embassy of Japan in New Delhi or to the Consulates-General in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata or Bengaluru, depending on where you live.

• Short-stay visas: tourism with or without a guarantor, short-term business, visiting relatives or friends, medical stay, and a tourist visa for Indian university students and alumni.
• eVISA for tourism: since 1 April 2024 Indians can receive a single-entry tourism visa (stay up to 90 days) as an eVISA. You still submit at VFS, and you must show the visa issuance notice on a mobile device with internet at the airport; a printout or screenshot is not accepted.
• Multiple-entry visas: for Indians with past Japan trips, with Japan and G7 travel records, with sufficient financial capacity, for business, for intellectual figures and for the family of employment-visa holders.
• Long-term visas with a Certificate of Eligibility: students, engineers and other workers, plus the J-Find visa for recent graduates of eligible top-ranked universities.

What does a Japanese visa cost an Indian, and how long does it take?

From 1 July 2026 the Embassy of Japan charges Indian nationals INR 500 for a single or a multiple visa. VFS adds a service fee of INR 800 per application, which is non-refundable and charged even to applicants exempted from visa fees. The transit visa was abolished from 1 July 2026; it previously cost Indians INR 50. Other nationals applying in India now pay INR 8,650 single and INR 17,350 multiple or double.

MOFA's standard examination period is five working days from the day after acceptance when there is no problem. It stretches to a couple of weeks or several months if extra documents, an interview or inquiries are needed. One timing change is coming: from 19 October 2026 the Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad and Goa centres accept Japan applications only by prior appointment.

How should you use these numbers before you apply?

Treat the 2025 total as context, not a forecast. It shows that Japan handles a large volume of Indian applications through an established VFS network; it says nothing about your own file. The checklist for your consulate and visa type decides the outcome. Before you apply:

• Apply to the office for the state you live in. If your passport was issued elsewhere, carry address proof.
• Short-term applications are accepted from 3 months before travel (Embassy of Japan); the Chennai and Kolkata VFS pages say not earlier than 89 days.
• An issued single-entry visa is basically valid for three months, so time the application to your trip.
• Flight and hotel proof differs by office. Mumbai checklists (November 2025) ask for confirmed bookings, while Chennai and Kolkata accept reservations, and the Chennai checklist recommends not buying a confirmed ticket before the visa is granted.
• Travel insurance is not on the required list, but MOFA highly recommends international travel medical insurance for a trip to Japan.

If you are building a tourist file, Yatra For Fun's India office in Gurugram prepares verifiable flight reservations, hotel bookings, day-by-day itineraries and cover letters. Packages run from INR 1,000 for a flight reservation to INR 3,000 for reservation, hotel, itinerary and cover letter. WhatsApp +91 95230 91018 or contact our team.

Frequently asked questions

Is it easy for Indians to get a Japan visa?

MOFA does not publish a refusal rate for Indian applicants, so there is no official measure of how easy it is. Outcomes depend on a complete file for your consulate's checklist. A refusal blocks a new application for the same purpose for six months.

Can Indians get a visa on arrival in Japan?

No. MOFA says visas cannot be obtained on arrival in Japan, and India is not on Japan's visa-exemption list. Indian passport holders must get a sticker visa or an eVISA through a VFS Japan Visa Application Centre before travel.

Does the 265,882 figure include Indians living outside India?

Yes. The MOFA figure covers visas issued to Indian nationals by all Japanese missions worldwide. Indians living abroad apply to the Japanese embassy or consulate for their country of residence, so those visas are counted too.

How much is the Japan visa fee for Indians in 2026?

From 1 July 2026 the Embassy of Japan lists INR 500 for a single or multiple visa for Indian nationals. VFS charges an INR 800 service fee per application on top, and that fee is non-refundable.