The Japan Culture Communications Organization (JCCO) will hold the first PREMIUM JAPAN AWARD in June this year, and it has been decided that the Japan Tourism Agency will act as its sponsor. Shimamura Mio, editor-in-chief of Premium Japan and executive director of the organization, spoke to Murata Shigeki, Commissioner of the Japan Tourism Agency, about the awards.

Expectations for an edgy awards show

 Murata　I looked at the Premium Japan website and was very surprised at the breadth of their network from the articles they published.

Shimamura　Thank you. First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the Japan Tourism Agency for agreeing to sponsor the Premium Japan Awards, which we are planning. Could you please tell us the background and reasons behind your decision to sponsor this event?

Murata　We see your efforts as a tool to introduce our country's culture to people overseas.

In particular, the selection of the awards is meaningful in that it is made by knowledgeable people and conveys the message that "this is the beauty of Japanese culture." We felt that this is no different from the purpose of the Japan Tourism Agency, which is to communicate the appeal of our country to foreigners.

Since we are in the position of the Japanese government, there is a certain aspect to information dissemination that inevitably leads to equality. However, private awards are centered on the perspective of the private sector, so in a sense they are more edgy. There is a part of me that is looking forward to seeing such sophisticated information disseminated.

We have high hopes that the awards, as well as the content of Premium Japan, will serve as an interface for conveying the excitement of this beautiful Japanese culture to people all over the world.

Shimamura　There are various awards in Japan, but there are no awards that are aimed at overseas audiences, and that was the initial reason I decided to try it.

Selection criteria based on an overseas perspective

Shimamura　There are very few media outlets other than us that operate in multiple languages, so when we send out press releases, the response from overseas media is very positive.

Another interesting thing was that I received a call from an overseas investor who said, "I want to invest in Japanese culture, but I can't decide where to invest."

The Premium Japan Awards include an international perspective as a selection criterion: whether the work is interesting to people overseas, and whether it has an international reach.

It is highly likely that the people selected for the award will end up providing useful information to overseas investors.

Murata　There are many areas in Japan where succession is a concern when it comes to maintaining, developing, and passing on Japanese culture. In that sense, if business overseas can be successfully established, it could be an opportunity to ensure that Japanese culture is passed on in a sustainable manner. I hope to see such an effect.

Shimamura　Rather than simply awarding prizes, we also aim to create a system that will ultimately connect the winners to requests from overseas.

Murata　If a positive cycle can be created and it becomes a good example, it will become a precedent for the following year.

4268 million people and 9.5 trillion yen

Shimamura　Regarding the Japan Tourism Agency, it has become commonplace to see many foreign tourists, especially in urban areas of Japan. What are the current situation and topics surrounding inbound tourism?

Murata　The Japan Tourism Agency was established in 2008, when the number of inbound foreign tourists visiting Japan was still around 8 million. After that, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a temporary drop, but last year, 2025, saw the number of inbound tourists reach 4268 million, marking the first time it surpassed the 40 million mark. This is the highest number ever.

Another thing is that I think what's important is not just the number of people, but the amount of consumption and the economic impact. How much inbound tourists spend in Japan is extremely important economically, and last year inbound consumption amounted to 9.5 trillion yen.

It will soon reach 10 trillion yen. This is double the 4.8 trillion yen figure in 2019, before the COVID-2 pandemic.

This means that the tourism industry has become the second largest export industry after automobiles in terms of foreign currency earnings, and tourism has grown into an industry that is indispensable to our country's economy.

Murata   Speaking of topics, I'd like to add that starting in 2019, a new "International Tourist Tax" was introduced as a source of revenue for tourism policy. Both Japanese and foreign visitors are required to pay a tax of 1000 yen per departure.

The tax revenue is used for tourism policy, and it has just been decided that the passenger tax will be raised from July this year. As financial resources will become more abundant in the future, we have decided to utilize this to advance measures to enhance the appeal of Japan's abundant tourism resources in cooperation with not only the Japan Tourism Agency but also other ministries and agencies, such as the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Ministry of the Environment.

Shimamura　So you want to increase the number of tourists visiting Japan.

Murata　I mentioned that we have surpassed 4000 million people, but our longer-term goal is to reach 6000 million people and consumption of 15 trillion yen by 2030. We are working together as a public and private sector to reach even greater heights.

70% in the three major metropolitan areas, 30% in rural areas

Shimamura　Are there any areas that you are focusing on?

Murata　The challenge we face is attracting visitors to regional areas.

Currently, many inbound tourists stay overnight in major cities, especially Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. We would like to disperse the concentration of tourists in major cities to regional areas as much as possible.

By the way, the percentage of foreigners staying in rural areas outside the three major metropolitan areas will be around 30% in 2024.

Shimamura　Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto account for 7%.

Murata　The concentration of tourists in urban areas has caused various problems. In order to make tourism sustainable, one of the major challenges is how to attract tourists to regional areas.

Another challenge is that, as I mentioned earlier, we aim to achieve consumption of 15 trillion yen, and we must increase the average consumption amount per person.

According to data for 2025, per capita spending will be around 230,000 yen. In order to increase this even further, we would like to further promote initiatives that appeal to travelers from countries that spend a lot of money in Japan, particularly those from Europe, America, and Australia.

Shimamura　Is it something for the wealthy?

Murata　Even if they are not wealthy, people from these countries spend more money than average. One reason is that they stay for a long time. There are more Asian visitors, but people from Europe, the US, and Australia come from far away, so the unit price per person is quite high.

"Tourism" is seeing the light of the country

Shimamura　In order to attract tourists to regional areas, it is important to bring out the charm of each region. What do you think about the charm of Japan's regions?

Murata　There is a passage in the Book of Changes, one of the Four Books and Five Classics of China, that we often use: "Viewing the light of the country, being a guest to the king." This is said to be the origin of the word "tourism."

"Light" refers to cultural artifacts, the culture and human activities that the country has produced, and it means that it is fitting for a guest of a king to take a good look at these things. The word "tourism" comes from the context of seeing the light of this country. I think of tourism as a human act of being moved by seeing the shining things of a country or a region.

In Japan's tourism policy, I believe that creating dazzling things and attractions that impress visitors will lead to the enhancement of tourism.

One of the attractions of our country that deserves special mention is its diversity. We have four seasons, and each season brings with it completely different landscapes and natural scenery. Along with our natural environment, we also have a food culture that has been nurtured over many years, traditional crafts that make use of local specialties, festivals that serve as symbols of local communities, and historical buildings - things like these that not all other countries have. Our country is rich in these things, and they make up our diverse charm.

Shimamura　Recently, the New York Times, for example, has published a list of Japanese regional cities titled "52 Places to Visit in 20XX."Okinawa, for example. Articles like this are a great boost.

Murata　From our perspective, this is extremely welcome coverage. It is extremely effective when Western media directly conveys the appeal of Japan's regional cities to their readers.

Impressed by the details of Japanese cuisine

Shimamura　What do you think are the strengths of Japanese culture as a tourist resource?

Murata　I believe that our country's culture is extremely distinctive and unique.

For example, when it comes to food, one of the things inbound tourists look forward to most when they visit Japan is Japanese cuisine. Japanese cuisine is not just about the act of eating, but also about how carefully the producers cultivate the ingredients, and how the chefs carefully select the ingredients and prepare them with care.

Furthermore, the combination of tableware and ingredients, the way they are presented, and each of these elements contain a message, and in this sense, Japanese cuisine has reached the level of art. I believe that foreigners who enjoy Japanese cuisine are moved by each and every detail.

UNESCO has a system for registering intangible cultural heritage, and in Japan, 23 cultural assets have been registered, including Japanese cuisine, traditional sake brewing, Noh, Kabuki, Gagaku, and Japanese paper.

In terms of recent news, it has been decided that two new things, Kagura and hot spring culture, will be submitted to UNESCO for registration as intangible cultural heritage.

Hot springs are found in every prefecture and are very familiar to the Japanese people. I would like to convey the history and cultural aspects of these places to foreigners as a new attraction.

Japan National Tourism Organization in 26 locations around the world

Shimamura　What initiatives does the Japan Tourism Agency plan to take to effectively communicate Japanese culture and its appeal to other countries?

Murata　Culture and local attractions are important, but no matter how good something is, people won't come to Japan unless they can communicate it.

One organization that promotes the attractions of Japan is the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), which has been working hard to promote the country overseas in cooperation with Japanese embassies in various countries and regions.

Through these activities, understanding of our country's culture and attractions has progressed considerably, and the increasing number of foreigners who visit Japan two or three times is one sign of this growing understanding.

In terms of collaboration, JNTO has 26 overseas offices, so we conduct marketing that is suited to each country while thoroughly researching the national characteristics and interests of the countries where we are stationed. We collect sufficient information on the appeal of each region in Japan and carry out our marketing effectively.

Shimamura　I think the biggest problem is communication. Even if you make something really great, nothing will happen if it's not known. I always think that it's important not just to let people know about it, but also to explain why it has value.

Murata　It's important to communicate things in a way that foreigners can understand, but that's not easy. It's also important to convey the things and stories behind them.

Supporting high added value in tourism

Shimamura　Are there any initiatives that the country would like to focus on in particular?

Murata　I think it's important to have a variety of tourist attractions that meet the expectations of tourists. Our visitors come from all over the world, and their interests vary depending on their nationalities.

In order to satisfy a wide range of people, it is extremely important to offer a menu that can be experienced. This is called "experience consumption."

For example, you could try brewing at a traditional sake brewery or create a traditional craft with your own hands, and if you can get guidance from a craftsman, it will be even more fulfilling.

Providing a wide range of experiences that can only be had in these areas will be key to enriching Japan's tourism resources, and will lead to higher added value in tourism. As a result, we believe that it will naturally be possible to attract visitors to regional areas.

At the Japan Tourism Agency, we would like to support efforts to create such tourism resources in every corner of the country. We also want to actively support efforts to refine tourism resources into more attractive ones, and achieve results.

There are many local people who want to use tourism as a catalyst to revitalize the local economy, so we would like to make sure we meet their expectations.

Shimamura　I have the impression that inbound tourism will only continue to increase from now on, so I'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds.

Murata　I believe that unless we also take measures to prevent problems such as overtourism, we will not be able to easily achieve the target of 6000 million visitors.

Shimamura　That's what it means to be a tourism-based nation.

Murata　That's right.

Shimamura　Finally, what do you think is the "Japanese aesthetic sense"?

Murata　It is quite difficult to put into words something as abstract as "Japanese aesthetic sense."

First, in Japan there is a word called "sui," which I understand to mean something that is pure and unadulterated, and is used in expressions such as "to the fullest extent of one's iki" or "to put one's iki into practice."

It may mean using the finest ingredients and food, or gathering the finest techniques and making something with love. It could be said that many of our country's cultural resources are underpinned by this "iki."

When I think about the perfection of each food or craft, as well as the long hours and effort required to create something pure and pure, and the background behind it, I feel that the dignity and beauty of the item itself is even more apparent. This is perhaps what can be called the Japanese aesthetic sense.

Shimamura　That's a very intelligent answer.

Murata　To begin with, aesthetic sense is something that each person perceives slightly differently, so I thought that if we could extract and sublimate the elements that Japanese people commonly perceive, it would lead to what I just said.

Shimamura　Thank you all!

Shigeki Murata

Born in Tokyo. Graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo in 1990 and joined the Ministry of Transport in April of the same year. In July 2019, he became Director of the Tourism Area Promotion Department at the Japan Tourism Agency. 2021AprilIn June 2022, he became the Director-General of the Cabinet Secretariat for Ocean Policy Promotion. In July 2023, he became the Director-General of the Railway Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. In July 2024, he became the Director-General of the Minister's Secretariat of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. In July 2025, he became the Commissioner of the Japan Tourism Agency.