With the number of foreign visitors finally returning to predisaster levels, the Japan Tourism Agency unveiled Friday its new promotion strategy to draw 10 million travelers this year.
"I would like to declare that the era of 10 million inbound visitors has arrived," JTA Vice Commissioner Tadashi Shimura told a press event held at a rather unusual venue — the (Tokyo) Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel, a huge underground facility built in Saitama to divert floodwaters.
While Japan's soured ties with China and South Korea continue, Shimura still pointed to chances to attract more foreign tourists this year, such as the weakening yen, the open skies deal at Narita airport and further recovery from the March 2011 disasters and nuclear crisis.