Japan Safe for Visitors Again

Japan is now urging visitors to return to the country after an earthquake and tsunami damaged the country's Fukushima nuclear power plant back in March, causing widespread disruption. 

Tourism officials for Pacific Asia have issued a statement reassuring potential visitors to the country that Japan is now perfectly safe to visit, with the country returning to normal life except for the immediate area surrounding the damaged Fukushima power plant. The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) said that "almost all" of Japan is now functioning as normal, and visitors should not be put off booking Japan holidays. 

The Tohoku bullet train running between Shin-Aomori and Tokyo has begun operations again, and the Tokyo subways are now running normal services. Airports across Japan are also back working at full capacity, both for domestic and international flights, and tourist attractions around the country are fully open to receive visitors once more. 

"Four months after 3/11 we are getting along with ordinary daily life in Tokyo and most of Japan," said Nobutaka Ishikure, trustee and life member of PATA. "Visitors should come to Japan as before," he added. 

Japan has suffered significant reductions in both inbound and outbound tourist numbers since the tsunami, with other destinations in the region benefitting from greater numbers of Japanese travellers flying in. Flights to Thailand, Palau, Singapore and Palau and others have all seen increased numbers of Japanese visitors since the natural disaster in March, with many seeing double-digit growth figures. 

PATA said that foreign inbound traffic into Japan declined 32 per cent through May 2011, but has seen small signs of recovery in recent months.