Regarding Takahiro Fukada's Aug. 23 article, "Restoring foreign tourism tall order": I am very sorry to hear that foreign tourism is so badly affected by recent events in Japan. From this side of the world, I only hear words of support for your country and an earnest desire to see Japan recover as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately, the economic downturn could not have come at a worse time for a faltering tourist business. Many people are making drastic cutbacks in their spending, and foreign travel has fallen victim to this. Japan has always been viewed, rightly or wrongly, as an expensive destination and conceivably has suffered more than most as a result.

My wife and I will be visiting your country in the autumn and, like others who will be traveling with us, have taken an objective view of the post-tsunami situation. We see a proud, brave and hardworking nation doing everything it can to overcome great difficulties with a determination that we in Scotland can only admire. I look forward to visiting your beautiful country and, in a small way, showing our support for the people of Japan.

The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.

robert slater