Japan’s Strategy to Increase Outbound Tourism: Free Passports Proposal
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In a bid to boost overseas travel among young Japanese, the head of a leading travel industry organization has proposed that the government offer free passports to 18-year-olds. Hiroyuki Takahashi, chairman of the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA), suggested that providing passports to those who have legally reached adulthood could help stimulate international travel and foster a global mindset among the country’s youth.
In a recent interview with Kyodo News, Takahashi pointed out that only around 17 percent of Japanese citizens held passports in 2023, raising concerns about the declining interest in overseas travel, particularly among the younger generation. “Opportunities for youth to travel abroad have been greatly reduced,” he remarked, emphasizing that this trend could have long-term effects on Japan’s international engagement.
Takahashi, who also chairs major travel agency JTB Corp, attributed the sluggish recovery in overseas travel since the COVID-19 pandemic to a combination of factors, including the depreciation of the yen and the rising cost of travel. According to him, free five-year passports for new adults would encourage more people to explore destinations beyond Japan. He also floated the idea of issuing passports to junior high school graduates, hoping this could increase the number of senior high schools conducting overseas trips.
Japan’s tourism sector has seen inbound travel surge in recent years, but Takahashi warned that without a corresponding increase in outbound travelers, foreign airlines may be reluctant to establish new routes to Japan.
“Foreign airline companies will not be incentivized to start new routes to Japan without a certain level of outgoing travelers,” he noted.
According to data from the Japan National Tourism Organization, the number of Japanese citizens traveling abroad between January and July 2024 reached 6.85 million, still down 38.9 percent compared to the same period in 2019.
As Japan targets 60 million inbound tourists by 2030, Takahashi emphasized that achieving this goal will require boosting international flights, which hinges on increasing outbound travel to at least 30 million Japanese by the same year. The proposal to offer free passports will be part of a broader strategy to reach these ambitious figures.
This plan will also be a focal point of discussion at the upcoming tourism expo in Tokyo, scheduled for September 26-29, where industry experts will pitch ideas to revitalize Japan’s outbound travel market.
“We need to bring the number of outbound Japanese travelers to over 2 million, or the same level as 2019, by 2025,” Takahashi stated, signaling the travel industry’s commitment to reversing the downward trend.
