The new Slovakian ambassador to Japan expressed hope Friday that tourist visa procedures for prospective Japanese visitors to the Slovak Republic will be relaxed.
Ambassador Julius Hauser, who started work in Tokyo last month, said he hasHauserheld discussions with the justice and foreign affairs ministries on the question of making Japanese visitors to Slovakia exempt from current visa procedures.
The ambassador was speaking during a visit to The Japan Times on Friday afternoon. Hauser thanked the government for its plan to open an embassy in Slovakia in January and praised the idea as a "good and positive step for the bilateral relationship."
At present, the Japanese Embassy in Prague, the capital of the neighboring Czech Republic, covers diplomatic matters involving relations between Japan and Slovakia, he said.
Hauser also said his country hopes to attract more Japanese investment, adding that seven or eight Japanese companies already operate in the country.