Japanese Passport Now World's Most Powerful (cnn.com) 175
According to the Henley Passport Index, compiled by global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & PartnersCitizens, Japan now has the most powerful passport on the planet. From a report: Having gained visa-free access to Myanmar earlier this month, Japanese citizens can now enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to a whopping 190 destinations around the world -- knocking Singapore, with 189 destinations, into second place. Germany, which began 2018 in the top spot, is now in third place with 188 destinations, tied with France and South Korea. Uzbekistan lifted visa requirements for French nationals on October 5, having already granted visa-free access to Japanese and Singaporean citizens in early February.
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We once sent 1.5 million Americans to Vietnam with no passports whatsoever! They were not pleased, to say the least.
Re: Some Asian countries have done reciprocal dea (Score:1)
Ayup. When Germany sent 7 million passportless people to Russia, they responded by chasing them back with 15 million. So history shows that travel without a passport tends to be frowned apon.
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Japan's 190 countries versus the US and UK's 186 countries - that's not really much of a difference.
Don't forget next year the UK drops by 25 countries.
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I think an agreement will be made with most if not all those countries.
Why would you think that? One side wants a deal, the other does not. Therefore there will not be a deal.
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I thought the UK left the EU to take back control of their borders. That means visas.
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Why would you think "the other does not"? Do EU countries hate tourism pounds?
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The tourism money is going to come regardless, Europe is a couple of hours drive away for the UK. where else are they going to go?
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I think an agreement will be made with most if not all those countries.
Why would you think that? One side wants a deal, the other does not. Therefore there will not be a deal.
In a "No Deal" scenario, which the Tory's seem to be insanely intent on trying for, the UK will just join other non-EEC nations as part of the Schengen visa waiver scheme. So basically it'll be the same as an Australian, Canadian or American visiting the EU (IIRC, 90 days staying in the EU before requiring a visa). The EU is prepared for life without the UK.
Of course residents of the UK wont be able to afford to travel after Brexitl.
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I looked my country up, being curious.
169 destinations, pretty darn good. I can't travel without a visa to many Asian countries and notably the US of A.
So this "most powerful passport" became a game of "let's find some very small country and close a deal with them" for those countries vying for the top position.
getting out, not in (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:getting out, not in (Score:4, Informative)
Passports are a scam and a TRAP. The world never used to have passports. There was and is NO need for them.
That is entirely wrong. All you have to do is read a book like the Count of Monte Cristo, written almost 200 years ago, to see that there was a period in time where you couldn't even leave the town you grew up in without a passport. If you did, you'd be considered a criminal when you tried to get into any town. The lay person did not need a passport because the lay person never had the opportunity to go anywhere.
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the "freedom" and bliss of ignorance is futile to argue against.
34th here! (Score:3)
My country (Paraguay) is 34th with visa-free access to 143 destinations. Glad to see it placed so high given the fact that it is a small and relatively unimportant country.
Re:34th here! (Score:5, Informative)
This raises an interesting question: What is the worst passport to have?
I figured it would be North Korea, but nope, it is Afghanistan.
North Korea isn't even in the bottom 10. Eleven countries allow visa free travel to North Koreas, and 35 more issue visas on arrival.
Here's the bottom ten:
Iran
Ethiopia
Lebanon
Sudan
Yemen
Somalia
Syria
Pakistan
Iraq
Afghanistan
So if you want to be at the bottom, you need to be an exporter of terrorists.
So who allows visa free access to Afghans? According to Wikipedia [wikipedia.org], they are Dominica, Haiti, Micronesia, Saint Vincent, North Cyprus, Cook Islands, and Pitcairn Island.
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South Africa is pretty bad.
64 countries allow visa free entry to South Africans, and another 33 issue visas on arrival.
South Africa is near the middle.
Here is the list: Passport rank by country [passportindex.org]
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South Africa is pretty bad.
64 countries allow visa free entry to South Africans, and another 33 issue visas on arrival.
It depends on the country. Visa-free entry to Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Somalia, Congo, the South Sudan, and South Ossetia isn't exactly a selling point for a particular passport. See my other comment, you need a visa for most of the countries you'd actually want to visit, and for some even though you can in theory get a visa in practice you can't.
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And North Cyprus isn't a real country anyway.
Re:British come April 2019 (Score:5, Insightful)
Britain will have no agreements with any nations so the British passport will be by far the worst passport to have.
Britain has never been part of Schengen, so Brexit will have no effect on visa agreements.
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Britain has never been part of Schengen, so Brexit will have no effect on visa agreements.
British citizens are currently EU citizens, so they don't need a Schengen visa. But might after Brexit.
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If there is no deal the British citizens could need some kind of visa or pre-check to visit the EU.
There are other benefits we will likely lose either way, such as access to EU healthcare systems on a reciprocal basis. No need to get travel health insurance, just a free EHCI card at the moment.
No deal will have other severe travel consequences, such as UK based airlines losing approval to fly in the EU and British citizens with family members from the EU being torn away from them until they can arrange furt
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After Brexit, Britain will lose automatic freedom of movement with 26 countries. They'll have to apply for limited visas, at a cost, to get into countries they used to be able to just walk into. This seriously degrades the status of the British passport.
Re:34th here! (Score:4, Interesting)
I wonder what sort of Bribes are involved in getting a Transnistrian Passport?
For $100k you can buy a St Kitts passport that will give you visa free access to the UK.
25% of St Kitts' GDP comes from selling citizenship.
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One of the sillier things happened at the Tighina Fortress in Transnistria, still held by Russian Guards, who do not discuss what is stored under the Fortress.
Since Tighina Fortress' official name is Bender Fortress, I'm guessing it's a gay disco.
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Please learn the difference between a font and an alphabet.
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My country (Paraguay) is 34th with visa-free access to 143 destinations. Glad to see it placed so high given the fact that it is a small and relatively unimportant country.
That's 15 less than Mexico! Time to build another wall.
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That's 15 less than Mexico! Time to build another wall.
To keep out Paraguayans, we can just make the Panama Canal wider.
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Glad to see it placed so high given the fact that it is a small and relatively unimportant country.
Being important in this case is secondary to being remarkable (for both good and bad reasons). Unimportant and unremarkable countries fair well for visa issues. Being known for good reasons isn't relevant, you need to ensure you're not known for bad reasons.
In related news ... (Score:4, Insightful)
Japanese citizens can now enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to a whopping 190 destinations around the world ...
MasterCard ecstatic.
Meanwhile... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Meanwhile... (Score:5, Informative)
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Bzzt! Wrong. The Russians didn't leave eastern Europe after WW2, and their expansion into Cuba was seen as an attempt to expand their empire.
Yes, the US placed missiles in Eastern Europe, but NATO members could never have been called US conquered territory. A US military base does not make an occupation. The old Soviet countries didn't fare so well, or they'd still be part of the USSR.
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Also, this was in response to American nukes in Turkey, right on the Russian border.
Russia doesn't have a border with Turkey.
Re:Meanwhile... (Score:5, Informative)
Russia doesn't have a border with Turkey.
It did in 1961.
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Turkey has a border with Georgia. Georgia was part of the Soviet Union. It did not become independent until the early 1990s.
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Yes. Technically true, but as far as Moscow was concerned the border of the USSR was THEIR border from a security standpoint. It's also worth noting that Georgia was annexed into imperial Russia in the 19th century, so it has in the past been considered part of Russia.
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The Mickey Mouse countries of Georgia and Armenia that separate Russia and Turkey now did not exist before 1990s.
Georgia and Armenia existed as countries and nations for some centuries before Turkey (or the Ottoman Empire before it) ever existed - or the Russian federation in its final expansion phase, or the Soviet union.
And what is a "Mickey Mouse country"? I am a Greek and don't unserstand the phrase (other than its meant for mocking a country/nation?)
And Armenia is merely a Russian puppet that would be absorbed into Turkey should Russians stop their aid.
After having survived the Armenian Genoside (one and a half million Armenians murdered bu the Turks), i say good for the Russians for aiding the Armenians and not le
Re:Meanwhile... (Score:5, Informative)
...as an American citizen, I can be arrested for visiting Cuba, 90 miles away.
It is legal to visit. You just can't spend money there. But enforcement is lax, and nobody really cares.
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...as an American citizen, I can be arrested for visiting Cuba, 90 miles away. Why? Something, something Communism.....
Um, yeah "something something communism". "something something brutal dictatorship". "something something gulags" "something something political prisoners" "something something political executions"
You do know that communist dictatorships are real, right?
You might want to learn something something about it, instead of trying so hard to pose as being cool.
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So one of the more surreal experiences of my life happened when I travelled to GTMO back in 2007 or so. I was standing in line at the NX at Marine Hill, when my mobile phone rang. I picked it up and answered, then looked around and realized that everyone was looking at me like I had grown antennae. That's when it dawned on me that my Canadian phone had happily roamed onto the Cuban cell network while none of them had a working phone.
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It's weird, they list Cuba as a country where Canadians needs a visa. Must be included in plane ticket price and pretty automatic. Not sure why that doesn't count as a VOA.
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The same reason the US hates Iran so much more then other countries with worse human rights records. Because they overthrew an American friendly dictatorship for American hostile dictatorship.
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Maybe because the communists imprison gays
Homosexuality has been legal in Cuba since 1979, when it was still illegal in many US states.
America did not decriminalize homosexuality until 2003: Lawrence v. Texas [wikipedia.org]
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Re:Meanwhile... (Score:5, Informative)
Heh? Singapore has mostly the same thing going on - but we're friends with them.
Indeed. We are also friends with Saudi Arabia, which has no elections, and where gays are executed.
Meanwhile, in Cuba, gays are not persecuted, and starting in January next year, gay marriage will be legal.
GPP's assertion that America's foreign policy is based on "protecting gays" is absurd.
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So do friendly dictators all around the world. What makes the commies so special?
Cuban voters in Florida.
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That's rich.
Neither D's nor R's are small government (R's pay it lip service, but don't govern that way).
D's tax and spend, R's borrow and spend. Neither is interested in reducing spending they approve of and neither has been successful in cutting the other sides spending. (The Sequester was a good thing for a moment, but eventually made no difference as both parties found ways around it) Bo
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"Neither side has done a god damned thing to help the average citizen, smoke and mirrors abound, but real assistance, never seems to have enough votes to pull it off. "
My family couldn't afford healthcare until the ACA.
Go fuck yourself with the "both parties are the same" lie.
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Fuck yourself, partisan hack.
Re: Meanwhile... (Score:5, Informative)
Except it was a Democrat who normalised relations with Cuba and made it possible for US citizens to visit there again, and the Republican who succeeded him who has already rolled part of that back.
But do go on...
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Yes, never mind how the Americans came to own that stuff [wikipedia.org].
Please weigh, not just count (Score:5, Insightful)
It is a start to recognize visa-free is a good thing. But their list ought not to simply count countries, but weigh them by something -- population, GDP, area, /. postings, ... ). Simple binary dot-product.
After all, visa-free to Russia or China is more useful than visa-free to Uzbekistan or Mongolia for most people.
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I would much rather count net. Bilateral agreements are cheap and plentiful (the whole thing is symmetric; no real reason for restriction in a peaceful world). Whether your passport is powerful or not ought to be determined by how many countries can you get in without a visa while the citizens of that country cannot enter yours likewise?
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But their list ought not to simply count countries, but weigh them by something
That depends on what you're measuring in your success.
Better trading: GDP.
Better choice of travel destinations: area.
Better treatment of people by foreign governments: number of countries.
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I've been visiting China regularly for the last ten years or so, I've always had a pretty nice time there, and I've never had any problems with the authorities or anyone else.
EU passport (Score:3, Interesting)
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Still the US is a comparably sized (whether you measure by land area, population or economy size) area to choose a place to live and work within to the EU as a whole.
Disappointed (Score:4, Funny)
When I read the headline, I wondered if Japanese passports now transformed into some sort of giant mecha creature.
Fortress Australia (Score:2, Redundant)
Aint nobody gettin' in here without a visa, filled out in triplicate.
Except those pesky Kiwis, but we have been sending them back pretty sharply recently.
And there are so many other countries that charge us for nasty visas when they do not charge anyone else...
Re:Fortress Australia (Score:4, Informative)
You know that Australia is 7th on the list right?
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And there are so many other countries that charge us for nasty visas when they do not charge anyone else...
It's called reciprocity, you get back what you dish out.
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Afaict Australia isn't really much different from the US or Canada in terms of advanced authorisation requirements for people arriving by air (which we all know is how most people travel internationally). They just chose to consider their online travel authorisations Visas rather than denying they are Visas like the US and Canada do.
There is one passport not mentioned (Score:1)
The passport owned to Chuck Norris, it makes all over passports run for the shredder
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Chuck Norris doesn't have a passport. If a country doesn't want to let him in, he just redraws the borders.
Still not worthwhile (Score:1)
As a japanese resident of over 20 years I still wouldn't give up my current citizenship to naturalize even though it'd be easy.
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Thank you. I learnt more from this your post than I did in the 10 previous years of Slashdot + comments.
Many of those aren't true.
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Many of those aren't true.
13% of internet statistics are just made up.
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You have false information in there, for example the Chinese invented the match in the 6th century. Maybe you meant to say "safety matches" or "strike anywhere matches", both of those came after the 16th century lighters.
At least one snail species can sleep for five years or more, one specimen did six years.
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Also, the volume of the Pacific Ocean is 714 million km^3.
The volume of the moon is 21.9 billion km^3.
So the moon is bigger by a factor of more than 30.
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even all the oceans are only 1.3 billion cubic kilometers. makes sense, the moon is 3,400 km in diameter, it is fucking huge, a quarter of the diameter of earth and oceans are less than 4km in average depth.
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Here is all the water on earth [i.redd.it] in a sphere.
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now imagine another ball of water with 1/4 the diameter of earth, that's the moon. that amount of water on the earth would reach satellites
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Also, there's words that rhyme with "month".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
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Also, there's words that rhyme with "month".
I'd be more inclined to believe you if you could conjugate for a plural.
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"Go." is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.
Q: What is the first person singular pronoun?
A: "I."
Q: Is the quoted factoid correct?
A: "No."
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Given that this can be appended to any paragraph, that was redundant.
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What did you think I meant by "redundant"?