The government plans to end the Ship for World Youth program, a sea-going cultural exchange for young people, at the end of the current fiscal year, according to sources.
A government panel tasked with cutting waste said in June that some international exchange programs, including this one, should be scrapped. The Ship for World Youth began in 1967, when it was not as common for Japanese to travel abroad.
Almost ¥1.7 million is needed to cover the expenses of each participant, who pay ¥230,000 to take part.