- Trump to open second golf course at Scotland resort in summer 2025
- Super-sub Jhon Duran rewarded with new Aston Villa deal
- US duo win Nobel for gene regulation breakthrough
- Masood hits first ton for four years to power Pakistan to 233-1
- Fritz wins delayed match to reach Shanghai Masters third round
- Naomi Osaka pulls out of Japan Open with back injury
- Weather may delay launch of mission to study deflected asteroid
- China to flesh out economic stimulus plans after bumper rally
- Artist Marina Abramovic hopes first China show offers tech respite
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on US jobs data
- Pakistan 122-1 at lunch in first England Test
- Kazakhs approve plan for first nuclear power plant
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
- Japan govt admits doctoring 'untidy' cabinet photo
- Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack
- Darvish tames Ohtani as Padres thrash Dodgers
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Family affair as LeBron, Bronny James make Lakers bow
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
- As Great Salt Lake dries, Utah Republicans pardon Trump climate skepticism
- Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of UN forum
- Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing
- Tunisia incumbent Saied set to win presidential vote: exit polls
- Phillies win thriller to level Mets series
- Yu bags first PGA Tour win with playoff win
- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
Japan sees 1 mn more tourists post-pandemic, new half-year record
Japan welcomed a million more foreign visitors in the first half of 2024 compared to pre-pandemic levels, logging a new record of 17.78 million, the national tourism organisation said Friday.
The weak yen is attracting large crowds to Japan, with tourists splashing out on everything from kimonos to knives and pricey meals.
The January-June figure beat the previous high from 2019 of 16.63 million, an influx that has prompted overcrowding concerns at hotspots such as Kyoto and Mount Fuji.
"It's important that we promote rural regions to visitors, while taking measures against overtourism," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told a cabinet meeting on the nation's efforts to expand inbound tourism.
Japan is expecting 35 million overseas visitors in 2024, with tourist consumption estimated at eight trillion yen ($50 billion).
Over the whole of 2023, 25 million visitors came to Japan, after strict pandemic-era border restrictions were lifted.
The country has set an ambitious goal of luring 60 million tourists a year by 2030 -- around double 2019's full-year record of 31.88 million.
But some residents are already fed up with unruly behaviour and etiquette breaches by some foreign visitors.
In a town near Mount Fuji in May, authorities mounted a large barrier at a popular viewing spot next to a convenience store in an attempt to deter photo-taking.
New crowd control measures have been put in place on the volcano's most popular hiking trail, which now has an entry fee of 2,000 yen ($13) plus an optional donation.
Locals in tradition-steeped Kyoto have complained of tourists harassing the city's famed geisha, with visitors now banned from some private alleys.
And the mayor of Himeji has said the western Japanese city, famous for its castle, could make tourists pay four times as much as locals to visit the World Heritage site.
- 'Pretty bad in Kyoto' -
"The yen definitely being so weak, we knew our money would go a long way," Ian Dickson, a 41-year-old American, told AFP in Tokyo's Asakusa district, a top tourist draw.
"Love it so far," he added. "There's no trash on the ground, no litter. It's a beautiful country, beautiful culture."
Andrea Bugnicourt, 28, a French tour guide working in Tokyo, said demand has been "crazy" since the pandemic ended.
"I heard it's pretty bad in Kyoto," she said about the overtourism complaints.
"Japan has so many social rules, right? And people are not used to it. So I think the Japanese government should help on educating foreigners."
In the first six months of 2024, South Korean visitors to Japan topped the list of foreign tourists by country at 4.4 million.
China was second at around three million, five times as many as in the same period last year. Visitors from Taiwan were in third place and the United States in fourth.
Kishida's government on Friday presented plans to encourage luxury hotels to come to Japan's 35 national parks, Nippon TV and other local media reported.
The prime minister also instructed ministers to take emergency measures to address a jet fuel shortage, partly caused by surging demand from tourists, that has prevented airlines from increasing flights.
D.Sawyer--AMWN