TOKYO — Japan will soon publish guidelines for ports aimed at accepting more cruise ships nationwide, with the government looking to boost the postpandemic recovery in calls and attract overseas visitors to rural areas hard to reach by land.
Cruise ship calls at Japanese ports reached 2,479 in 2024 — about 85% of the pre-COVID-19 peak of 2,930 in 2018, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Calls of vessels operated by overseas companies came to 1,923, reaching 96% of the prepandemic peak.
