Japan's new tourism minister says overtourism 'very serious' & he'll take action

Japan's new tourism minister has raised concerns about overtourism in the country, calling the concentration of foreign tourists in certain regions "very serious".

Yasushi Kaneko, who was appointed to the role by the new Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi, shared on Oct. 23 that the country will introduce measures to address the issue in its upcoming tourism promotion plan.

In the first half of 2025, the number of foreign visitors in Japan surged to a record-breaking 21.5 million, surpassing the previous record of 17.78 million set just the year before, Kyodo News reported.

Travel demand remained strong even during the non-peak seasons.

Promoting regional areas

The revised approach will see the government's emphasis on spreading the benefits of tourism to all regions, including rural areas.

The goal will be to "balance the acceptance of tourists with efforts to ensure residents' quality of life", Kaneko said, as quoted by The Japan Times.

Measures include launching express buses that connect tourist spots, and putting up signs promoting good manners.

Kaneko highlighted the need to develop infrastructure in rural areas, adding, "There can be no prosperity for a country without the prosperity of its rural areas."

The Japan Tourism Agency has been stepping up efforts to attract foreign visitors to regional areas such as Nikko, a town in Tochigi Prefecture north of Tokyo, The Straits Times reported in August.

Meanwhile, Kyoto announced earlier this month that tourists would be charged a hotel tax of up to S$86 per guest per night from next March.

"Tourists also must bear the cost of countermeasures against overtourism," the local government said.

Conservative government

Takaichi, Japan's first-ever female PM, is a conservative who was the protégé of late PM Shinzo Abe.

During her campaign, she spoke about foreigners kicking deer in Nara Park, and playing on shrine "torii" gates as though they were gymnastics bars.

She also pledged a crackdown on crimes and misbehaviour by foreigners in Japan, saying she wanted to "address the quietly growing sense of anxiety and anger that many Japanese people are starting to feel".

In response, critics accused her of being xenophobic and sowing division. She has denied these accusations.

"My intention was to raise issues necessary for coexistence, not to create division," she said in an interview with the Asahi Shimbun.

Top image from Raina Ong/japan-guide.com