Gov't to waive visa fees for foreigners visiting 3 disaster-hit prefectures

please add : free boarding and lodging, medical insurance cover and see how many visitors arrive and depart safely.

Wonder how many foriegn tourists will take advantage of the special offer?

Can't they just say they're going there and then completely avoid Tohoku. If I was a travel agent I'd advise that. Gee ... no one would lie now, would they?

Give the 30 day foreign visitor a subsidy for the cost of an airplane ticket on ANA or JAL and the tourists will flock to Japan. Bad pun, but the cost of a ticket to Japan from the USA is over 50% in taxes. Giving away 10,000 tickets is a scam. Nobody knows how to get the ticket which probably be given to people "on the inside" or connections.

The 10,000 free tickets rumor has been ended up with this booing announcement, very good!

So Y3000-6000 is an enticement to come to Japan? And to the most hard hit areas? You have got to be kidding. Only in this country could they come up with something so stupid.

yes I crave extra radiation and seeing people suffer so much that I'll fly all the way to Japan, and only visit the affected prefectures. This is the case scenario then?

How about instead of trying to "boost tourism" of all things, how about actually helping the people move? Get the kids out. End the stigmas in employment and changes of address. Police the law of human rights in Japan. Japanese against Japanese has to stop.

Ok, I know beggars can't be choosers, but in this case, I rather pay the fees.

Even one is given 10 times the visa fee as an incentive & ( if lucky enough to get ) one of the 10 k free air tickets, still have great doubt if volunteers out there going for it. Come on, common sense tells us that the prime interest of a normal tourist is to relax & admire scenic spots & not to be mobilized by naive initiatives of fixing the tourist industry of some disastrous regions for the sake of commemoration of the victims ( toward whom my sincere respect of course ). However, this is absolutely an ridiculous initiative hastily put forward that turns out to be a half joke !

Correction : should read disaster-hit regions -- not "disastrous"

On the visa fees, I guess this would only apply to nations that Japan does not have a visa waiver with.

I really think that instead of the 10,000 free flights, the Japan government should subsidize the fuel surcharges on ANA and JAL flights to and from international destinations for a period of time. Those fuel surcharges is what's really jacking up the ticket prices, especially ex-USA.

I have been so sick of J.Gov lies. It is very immoral to promote nuke hit prefectures to foreigners to visit.

What on earth J. Gov is thinking? Is J. Gov. thinking to hire the South East Asians to come and clean up Fukushima disaster? We, the world will not remain quiet if Japan is thinking to do so.

Foreigners are not getting disaster info as well as Japanese. Instead of promoting this idea, General Consulate of Japan should invest and provide a brochure of warning to all foreigners who are visiting, Stop promoting Fukushima rice to Japanese citizens. It is again immoral while it is not safe to eat. Lie, lie and lie.