Tokyo

The Japan Tourism Agency plans to conduct a survey on anti-disaster measures at local governments, aiming to bolster steps to ensure the safety of foreign visitors in times of disaster.

The survey will cover more than 700 entities, including the country’s 47 prefectural governments and municipalities with famous tourist spots where many foreigners visit. The agency hopes to collect answers by mid-December.

The number of visitors to Japan hit a record high of 31.19 million in 2018. The central government aims to increase the number to 40 million in 2020. Ensuring the safety of foreigners is a big task for the central government.

But it does not have a full picture of the measures taken by local governments in response to huge disasters such as powerful typhoons Faxai and Hagibis.

The agency created a group of experts Oct. 29 to consider measures to help and protect foreign travelers in times of emergency, such as natural disasters.

The group will set an outline for anti-disaster measures as early as late fiscal 2019. The survey results will be used as materials for discussion.

Jiji Press