The Foreign Ministry is urging Japanese planning trips overseas, including ministry bureaucrats, to take out travel insurance to cover damage they may incur as well as inflict.
According to statistics compiled by the ministry, some 16 million Japanese went abroad in 2002, of whom 17,000 encountered trouble of some sort and were helped by Japanese embassies or consulates.
Ministry officials said medical treatment for travelers who fall ill can pose problems, especially financial ones.