Towards a Sustainable Tourism Nation—Overtourism Measures and Encouraging Regional Tourism (Mr. Norio Kimura, Commissioner, Japan Tourism Agency)

OVERVIEW実施概要

Date & Time 10:30-12:00, Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Application Deadline 12:00, Friday, October 9 Theme Towards a Sustainable Tourism Nation—Overtourism Measures and Encouraging Regional Tourism Briefer Mr. Norio Kimura, Commissioner, Japan Tourism Agency Language Japanese, with consecutive English interpretation

The amount of inbound tourists visiting Japan reached a new record of nearly 42.7 million in 2025 (according to the Japan National Tourism Organization), with inbound spending also making a new record of nearly 9.5 trillion yen (according to the Japan Tourism Agency). Inbound tourism demand for Japan has grown rapidly in recent years with the weak yen providing an extra boost from affordability, and tourism in Japan has undergone significant development due to this increased demand. However, for sustainable development it is also necessary to respond to issues such as overtourism and the labor shortage in the tourism industry. The fifth Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Plan approved by the Cabinet in March 2026 does not simply include measures to increase the number of inbound tourists visiting Japan, but also to deal with issues such as burdens on specific regions from tourism and challenges facing the tourism industry in order to achieve both strategic promotion of inbound tourism and ensure quality of life for residents, as well as initiatives to increase domestic and outbound tourism and increase the resilience of tourist destinations and the tourism industry.

The FPCJ has invited Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Norio Kimura to discuss initiatives to build a sustainable tourism nation, including the current state of and challenges for Japan’s tourism policies in the face of continued strong inbound demand, as well as measures to promote regional tourism and respond to overtourism and labor shortages in the tourism industry being carried out under the fifth Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Plan.

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