Benefits for foreign tourists spark debate in Japan

Local governments in Japan are facing criticism over measures to attract foreign visitors, including subsidizing Shinkansen bullet train fares and waiving admission fees, which critics call “unfair.”

This fiscal year, the prefectural government of Kagoshima launched an initiative to attract foreign visitors as their numbers remained below levels before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The initiative includes fully subsidizing Shinkansen fares worth around ¥10,000 for one-way trips from Hakata Station in Fukuoka Prefecture, also in Kyushu.