Local governments in Japan are facing criticism over measures to attract foreign visitors, including subsidizing Shinkansen bullet train fares and waiving admission fees, which critics call ¡°unfair.¡±
This fiscal year, the prefectural government of Kagoshima launched an initiative to attract foreign visitors as their numbers remained below levels before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The initiative includes fully subsidizing Shinkansen fares worth around ?10,000 for one-way trips from Hakata Station in Fukuoka Prefecture, also in Kyushu.
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