An advisory panel to the Transport Ministry on Friday urged the government to introduce a "preclearance" system for customs, immigration and quarantine procedures for foreign participants in major international events, such as the planned soccer World Cup in 2002.

In a report submitted to Transport Minister Hajime Morita, the Tourism Policy Council said Japan should try harder to attract more foreign tourists by taking advantage of the recent revolution in information technology.

This is the first time in five years that the panel has issued proposals for promoting tourism.

The council proposed that participants in such events be allowed to go through immigration procedures with local authorities before departing their countries.

Among other proposed measures are the setting up of a system so that tourists can receive hotel and other tourism information via mobile communication devices, such as computers and telephones, and the creation of an environment in which elderly people can travel more easily.

The panel also suggested forming a special group to encourage foreign movie producers to use Japan for film locations.

The council also proposed that the state's qualification system for interpreters that double as tour guides be reformed so that it can increase the number of good interpreters of languages other than English.

The report called on the government to help increase the number of reasonably priced inns for foreign travelers.

"Foreign people are generally under the impression that costs are high for tourists in Japan," said a ministry official in charge of tourism.

The council also expressed concerns over Japan's declining international position as a tourist destination.

Japan slipped from 32nd in 1996 to 36th in 1999 in terms of number of foreign visitors, according to the World Trade Organization.

"That's the lowest rank among eight developed countries," says the report, "and the number of foreign tourists is extremely small given the number of Japanese that travel overseas and the scale of the nation."