The Tourism Agency was inaugurated Oct. 1 with the main aim of making Japan more attractive to tourists from abroad and improving tourism assets in local areas. Establishment of the new agency grew out of the government's June 2007 plan to promote tourism as an important pillar of government policy for the 21st century. It is hoped that promotion of tourism leads to revitalization of local economies and more opportunities for foreign tourists to enjoy Japan and for Japanese to have more interchanges with them.
In 2007, 8.35 million foreign tourists visited Japan. The government has the goal of increasing the number to 20 million in 2020. The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry estimates that if that many foreign tourists visit Japan, they will spend ¥4.3 trillion — 3.1 times more than the ¥1.4 trillion in fiscal 2006. It is estimated that related economic growth from the increased spending will be worth a total of ¥15.8 trillion, creating employment for 850,000 people.
The status of the new agency is an extra-ministerial bureau of the transport and tourism ministry. While the agency will adopt various measures to promote tourism, local governments, tourism-related companies and local residents are expected to make efforts to make their areas attractive to sightseers.