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Friday December 15, 6:52 PMLaos to exempt Japanese tourists from visa requirements from Jan. 1(Kyodo) _ Laos will exempt Japanese from visa requirements for short-term stays from Jan. 1 in a bid to strengthen the two countries' ties, visiting Laotian Foreign Minister Thongloun Sisoulit said Friday.Doubling as Laos's deputy prime minister, Thongloun also called for more direct investment from Japan during his speech in Tokyo. He said he conveyed the visa exemption plan to Japan when he met his Japanese counterpart, Foreign Minister Taro Aso on Thursday. "Even though Japan does not exempt visa requirement for Laotians, we exempt it for Japanese unilaterally," he said. Thongloun said he hopes the visa exemption will help promote tourism and encourage cultural and academic exchanges between the two countries, and lead to an increase in direct investment from Japan in the future. He said boosting foreign direct investment is very important for Laos to achieve its plan to break away from the group of the world's poorest nations by 2020. "Japan now ranks the fifth in terms of foreign direct investment in Laos, and I want Japan to be the largest or second largest as soon as possible," he said. In terms of foreign direct investment in Laos, Japan lags behind Thailand, Vietnam, China, and France. "I believe the future of Japan's investment in Laos is bright," Thongloun said, citing the country's stable political conditions, public safety, and bountiful resources such as mineral substances like iron, gold and copper. He said Laos plans to achieve at least an annual 7.5 percent of economic expansion in coming years compared with about 6.5 percent in 2005. |
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