Japan had waived short-term visas for Chinese primary and middle school students going to Japan on study tours, the China News Service reported Saturday.

The policy was aimed at attracting more Chinese students to undertake study tours in Japan, said the report.

Last year, fewer than 800 Chinese students visited Japan on study tours.

The visa-free policy has applied to South Korean students since March, and the number of Korean students visiting Japan since then had reached the same figure for six months of last year.

Japan waived the visa commission charge for short-term student visitors from China in April.

(Shenzhen Daily May 31, 2004)