After Hokkaido backcountry skiing deaths, experts call for enforcing 'Niseko Rules'
Following two cases of backcountry skiers being killed by avalanches in Hokkaido since the beginning of this year, safety experts in the prefecture are working to fully enforce the so-called Niseko Rules to keep skiers safe. The recent accidents — one in the village of ...
Foreign visitors to Japan down for fourth straight month in January
The number of foreign visitors to Japan fell for the fourth straight month in January, down 1.1 percent from a year earlier, government data showed Wednesday, with sharper declines seemingly inevitable in the months ahead due to the new coronavirus outbreak. An estimated 2.66 million ...
Japan's regional economies dealt blow by coronavirus-led plunge in tourism
Regional economies have been dealt a blow from plummeting numbers of foreign visitors, largely affected by a ban on group overseas travel by China to curb the spread of COVID-19, the pneumonia-causing coronavirus. While the government has extended financial support to smaller businesses in the ...
Majority of visitors to Japan not given coronavirus info at hotels
A recent survey on foreign visitors to Japan found that more than a half of those surveyed were not provided with information on the new coronavirus at hotels they were staying, such as where the infection had spread and what precautionary measures could be ...
Cabinet to greenlight urgent coronavirus steps to bolster Japan's tourism industry
The Cabinet will approve emergency measures this week against the new coronavirus to strengthen screenings and financial support the tourism industry, a source close to the matter said. Under the measures, the government aims to increase medical facilities that can conduct the polymerase chain reaction ...
Kyoto man tests positive for coronavirus, bringing number of Japan cases to 35
A man in his 20s in Kyoto Prefecture has tested positive for coronavirus, the health ministry said Wednesday evening, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 35. It is the second case of the disease confirmed in the tourist hot spot. A ...
Aichi offers foreign nationals multilingual support on new virus from China
Aichi Prefecture, where two people have been confirmed as infected with the new coronavirus from China, is calling on non-Japanese speakers in the prefecture to use its free multilingual translation service when they need to communicate with others regarding the virus. The Multilingual Call Center ...
No-fly zone: Japan urging foreign nationals to be aware of drone rules
Japanese authorities are introducing a variety of measures to prevent the wrongful use of drones, which has been increasing due to many people being unfamiliar with regulations, especially tourists from abroad. Under the civil aeronautics law, a drone of 200 grams or more cannot be ...
Japan may expand ban on foreign nationals who have visited China amid virus outbreak
Japan may expand its ban on foreign nationals who have recently been to China's Hubei Province to those from other areas in order to stem an outbreak of a deadly coronavirus, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday. "We are analyzing the data on patients within ...
At least 400,000 Chinese travelers expected to cancel trips to Japan by end of March
In another demonstration of the effect the virus is having on tourism, Japanese department store operators saw duty free sales slump during the key Lunar New Year holiday.
Hilton chases post-Olympic gold by bringing new luxury hotel brand to Kyoto in 2021
The Hilton group said Tuesday it will open a hotel under its newest luxury brand in Kyoto in autumn 2021, counting on a further upswell in lodging demand from tourists even after the Tokyo Olympics this summer. The timing of the planned opening for the ...
Virus poses stark challenges to Abe's tourism goals as Tokyo Olympics loom
The coronavirus outbreak is posing myriad challenges for the Japanese economy, including a key Abe administration policy initiative — the promotion of inbound tourism. In recent years, inbound tourism has been one of the few sectors to see rapid growth in the long-stagnant Japanese economy. ...
