Japan to boost tourism to quake-hit region with subsidies as focus turns to repairing ‘lifelines’

The funds will be part of a US$1 billion recovery package and include programmes such as covering half the cost of a night’s stay in hotels in the affected prefectures

The government’s financial support for Noto’s tourism sector can help rebuild facilities to emphasise the region’s historic and cultural attractions, analyst says

Reading Time:3 minutes

Collapsed buildings covered with snow in Suzu, Ishikawa prefecture, on Wednesday in the aftermath of the earthquake in central Japan on January 1. Photo: Kyodo

Published: 8:52am, 25 Jan 2024Updated: 11:47am, 25 Jan 2024

The Japanese government will provide generous subsidies to the tourism industry across northern parts of the country that were devastated by the magnitude-7.6 earthquake on January 1, even while the region is still suffering from aftershocks and a lack of basic municipal services.

The funds will be part of a 150 billion yen (US$1 billion) recovery package for the region that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said would be confirmed this week. The tourism subsidies will include a number of programmes, such as one that would cover half of hotel charges of up to 20,000 yen per person, per night, in the prefectures of Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa and Fukui.

While the tourism industry has welcomed the government’s support, it is widely accepted that the Noto Peninsula, which bore the brunt of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, will not be ready to welcome travellers for some time to come.

Prefectural authorities confirmed to This Week in Asia that they intended to prioritise the allocation of recovery funds towards basic reconstruction that would aid Noto residents, with the rebuilding of roads and the restoring water, sewage and electricity services being top concerns.

According to local police, 233 people have been confirmed dead and another 20 are still listed as missing. The vast majority were killed when buildings collapsed.