National Oct 21, 2020
Foreign visitors drop 99% from year earlier for sixth straight month
The Japanese government is expected to come up with a plan by the end of the year to revive the number of foreign visitors, officials say.
Business / Corporate Oct 18, 2020
Travel agency JTB selling chat system to reduce hotel staff and guest contact
The system can also translate 109 languages, enabling smooth communication with foreign guests in their mother tongues.
National Oct 9, 2020
Foreign travelers to Japan plummeted 75% in first half of 2020
by Magdalena Osumi
The drop is the first since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami devastated the Tohoku region.
Business / Economy Aug 23, 2020
Asia's biggest online travel agency says Japan-China tourism primed for rebound
by Junko Horiuchi
If Japan and China can reach an agreement on reciprocal travel, the chairman of Asia's biggest online travel agency sees outbound travel spiking from pent-up demand.
National Jul 16, 2020
Foreign visitors to Japan drop 99.9% in June for 3rd straight month
Foreign nationals traveling to Japan in June totaled an estimated 2,600, posting a year-on-year plunge of 99.9 percent for the third consecutive month amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, government data showed Wednesday. Inbound visitors sank to 1,700 in May, marking the lowest figure since 1964 ...
National Jul 5, 2020
Japan's top mobile carriers launch multilingual disaster information service for tourists
The short messaging service will send information on crucial phone numbers and web links that can help tourists caught up in quakes, typhoons and blackouts.
National Jun 17, 2020
Record-low 1,700 foreign visitors travel to Japan in May amid pandemic
Japan received an estimated 1,700 foreign travelers in May, an all-time low for the second consecutive month, amid the coronavirus pandemic, government data showed Wednesday. The number, down 99.9 percent from a year earlier and compared with 2,900 in April, is the lowest since 1964, ...
National May 27, 2020
Japan quells rumors it will pay for half of visitors' expenses
by Jesse Johnson
In tweets, the Japan Tourism Agency said the program under consideration would only cover “a portion of domestic travel expenses.”
National May 26, 2020
Hotels offer free stays for foreign nationals stranded in Japan
Some hotels and a university are offering free accommodation to foreign nationals who are stranded in Japan because their home countries have closed borders due to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus. The Kaname Inn Tatemachi, a hotel in the popular tourist spot of ...
National May 25, 2020
Japan to expand entry ban to visitors from India and 10 other nations
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan will maintain the current set of border control measures until the end of June.
Business May 25, 2020
The government will carry out support measures to shore up demand in the travel and restaurant industries hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, starting late July, sources said Monday. In what has been dubbed the "Go To campaign," the government will compile a series of ...
Business May 21, 2020
Newly reported minpaku business starts came to 420, but 629 operators reported closures, meaning the number of minpaku properties fell by 209.