South Korean students on school trips will be allowed into Japan without visas starting Monday, and tourist spots are organizing campaigns to draw them in.
The new regulation was agreed to in November after Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and President Roh Moo Hyun decided to institute the visa waiver.
According to the Japan National Tourist Organization, 147 South Korean students from two schools visited Japan on school trips in 1991. In 2002, the numbers grew to 3,249 students from 45 schools.
Many of the destinations are in western and southwestern Japan, such as the Kansai area and Kyushu, according to the JNTO.
The cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe last week jointly invited over 11 South Koreans in charge of school trips in a bid to increase visiting students.