As Japan began to trend towards population decline, lower birth rate and aging population, tourism came to the forefront for both its wide economic impact such as increased spending and job creation, and its ability to sculpt vital regional communities capable of fostering pride and love in its people.

 

In addition, as societies continue to globalize, growing into a tourism nation has become an indispensable part of our economy's evolution in the 21st century in terms of taking in some of the energy of Asian growth into our country.

 

Against this backdrop, the Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Law was enacted in January 2007, and in June of the same year, the Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Plan was decided at the Cabinet in order to prepare a both comprehensive and organized promotion of a tourism nation.

 

As a result, it became clear that in order to achieve a tourism nation, we needed a system capable of engaging this goal as a nation, across both the public and the private sector. The need was especially great for: 

1) Widespread communication of the fact that Japan was engaged in creating a tourism nation on a national level, concurrent with effective negotiation with foreign governments regarding expanded tourism exchange, 2) Exercise of leadership in achieving numerical goals for a tourism nation, and robust engagement and coordination of all the ministries and agencies involved, and 3) Widespread communication of the government's unified efforts to "build a country good to live in, good to visit," concurrent with robust support for efforts by local public bodies and the private sector to build tourism destinations.

 

Therefore, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism established the Japan Tourism Agency to promote the creation of a tourism nation in a comprehensive yet organized manner.

 

"The Act on the Partial Amendment to the Act, etc. on the Establishment of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, " aimed at establishing the Tourism Agency, was enacted on April 25, 2008, and on October 1, 2008, the Japan Tourism Agency came into existence under the auspices of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.