No visa needed

Do citizens of Japan need a visa for South Korea?

Citizens of Japan don’t need a visa for South Korea and can stay up to 90 days. You need a valid passport; border officers may ask for a return ticket and accommodation. For a longer stay you need a visa or an extension.

For citizens of Japan: the passport opens 114 countries visa-free; Tokyo — Seoul: ≈ 1,150 km, about 2 hours of flying.

Checked by visa analyst Albert Brown, 13 years of experience · September 26, 2026

At a glance

No visa needed

Stay: 90 days

Can I travel to South Korea without a visa on a Japan passport?

Yes, citizens of Japan don’t need a visa for South Korea for up to 90 days. A valid passport is enough.

South Korea visa rules at a glance

With a Japan passport you can visit 114 countries visa-free, 37 with a visa on arrival and 31 with an e-visa; 16 more require an embassy visa.
By the number of visa-free destinations, the Japan passport ranks 35th of 199.
Japan passport: visa-free access to 114 countries; South Korea passport: 114.
Citizens of Japan and South Korea can travel together visa-free to 112 countries, for example: China, Taiwan, Macau, Philippines, Mongolia, Vietnam, Micronesia, Laos, Brunei, Thailand, Kiribati, Malaysia, Singapore, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.
Citizens of South Korea, in turn, don’t need a visa for Japan. Japan visa for citizens of South Korea

Travelling to South Korea: good to know

Tokyo — Seoul: about 1,150 km in a straight line; a direct flight takes roughly 2 hours.
No time difference with your country’s capital.
Local currency: South Korean Won.
Languages: Korean.
Exchange rate: $1.00 ≈ ₩1,357.
South Korea is the 1st closest of 197 destinations open to citizens of Japan.