A visa is NOT necessary for US passport holders visiting Japan for a short-term stay of less than 90 days with the purpose of tourism and business.
*Please note that the visa waiver arrangement with the United States does NOT apply to U.S. individuals wishing to travel to Japan for news media related activities, attending depositions taken by U.S. Consul, or for U.S. Federal Government employees on official business or transit to/from official mission.
In general, a visa is only valid for one entry. A visa is valid for 3 months from the day of issuance. Therefore, entry into Japan should occur within this time frame. A Multiple entry visa is valid for 1 to 5 years. Multiple entry visas can be issued to citizens of countries that Japan has bilateral agreements with and to visitors with business purposes. A Double-Entry Transit visa is valid for 4 months and can be used twice (once on the way to your destination and once on the return trip) to complete a round trip.
Application Form
and Necessary Documents
Embassy/Consulate General of Japan will not make copies. If you need
original documents, please bring the original plus one copy.
Passport with sufficient validity date (An alien travel document must have 6 months or more validity)
Visa application
form
Visa Application Form [PDF]
Sample [PDF]
Photo (passport size, attached to the visa application form)
Additional Forms
Guarantee Letter
Japanese [PDF]
English [PDF]
Invitation
Letter/Reason for Invitation
Japanese [PDF]
English [PDF]
Please note the information above is just for your reference. For the
detailed information, please check with local embassy in your country or
visit http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/index.html.