Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida and Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Member Shunsuke Takei visited Okinawa Feb. 26th to commemorate the 20th anniversary of opening the ministry’s Okinawa Office.
During the visit, Kishida and Takei met officials and representatives of Okinawan tourism-related businesses including Okinawa Tourist Service, Chairman & CEO Tony Yoshikazu Higashi and other organizations at a reception held at a Naha hotel.
During the reception, attendees exchanged opinions and views on related topics. Okinawan officials explained Kishida about the current state and future plans related to the Okinawan tourism industry, while Kishida explained about various projects the Foreign Ministry is taking to promote regional tourism. “The Foreign Ministry recognizes and promotes local strengths and attractions. Japan needs to bring more visitors and also investors from overseas,” Kishida said.
He went on to explain that there are over 220 Japanese missions overseas, but they need to put more effort into promoting Japan, including Okinawa. “People overseas still don’t know much about Japan and Okinawa outside major cities like Tokyo and Kyoto. We need to create more opportunities to learn about Japan and Okinawa,” Kishida said.