Deputy Prime Minister Borg meets with Japan State Minister for Foreign Affairs Fujii in Tokyo
Malta and Japan concluded a long-awaited arrangement giving Maltese youths the opportunity to get free working holiday visas to explore Japan for up to one year, and likewise for young Japanese nationals to benefit from similar experiences in Malta.
Discussions on this arrangement, which will come in force in January, have been ongoing for the last nine years. On Wednesday, during a meeting in Tokyo, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Ian Borg, and the State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, Hisayuki Fujii, concluded these talks and exchanged Notes Verbales detailing the procedures of the respective working holiday arrangements.
“This working holiday visa arrangement opens new opportunities for our younger generations to travel to Japan and experience the culture, history, and innovation that this country can offer,” Dr Borg explained. The new visa will be open for travellers aged 18 to 30. It will also introduce a similar working holiday visa process to Japanese youths wishing to visit Malta for similar experiences, including students at English language training schools and other educational institutions.
“Japan is Malta’s third-largest non-EU student market in the English language training travel segment, and there is potential for further growth in coming years. Through this arrangement, we are supporting language schools and other related service providers as they continue developing this promising sector,” the Deputy Prime Minister added.
The two ministers discussed economic and cultural relations between the two countries, which continued to expand in recent years with the opening of the Maltese Embassy in Japan in 2020 and the Japanese Embassy in Malta a year ago. They also talked about the Global Centre for Maritime Sanctions Monitoring, which Malta launched this year. The OSCE Asian Partners for Cooperation Group, which Malta is currently chairing, and the 2025 Maltese Presidency of the Council of Europe, were also on the meeting’s agenda. Deputy Prime Minister Borg thanked State Minister Fujii for Japan’s valued cooperation in these multilateral engagements, reaffirming Malta’s commitment to continue pushing forward matters of mutual concern.
In a separate meeting, the Maltese delegation led by Dr Borg also held talks with the Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, Yoshimasa Hayashi.
On Thursday, the Maltese Deputy Prime Minister will lead the celebrations marking 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, at the Osaka EXPO 2025.
Photo: MFT
