Latest news with #DiamondPrincess
The Star
15-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Japan launches government body to address concerns over foreigners
FILE PHOTO: Tourists on a sightseeing cruise ship wave to passengers of the cruise ship Diamond Princess, which is anchored at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan February 12, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-hoon/File Photo (Corrects formatting, no changes to text) TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan on Tuesday set up an administrative body aimed at easing citizens' concerns over the rapid rise in the number of foreigners in recent years, as policies concerning non-Japanese residents emerge as a key issue in Sunday's national election. The body would serve as a cross-agency "control tower" to respond to issues such as crime and over-tourism involving foreigners, the government said. Japan has long sought to maintain a homogeneous population through strict immigration laws, but has gradually eased them to supplement its shrinking and ageing labour force. The number of foreign nationals hit a record of about 3.8 million last year, although that is still just 3% of the total population. The formation of the administration body comes after a group of lawmakers in Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party in June proposed measures to realise a "society of orderly and harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals". Those measures included adopting stricter requirements for foreigners switching to a Japanese driver's license and for buying real estate properties. "Crimes and disorderly conduct by some foreigners, as well as the inappropriate use of various administrative systems, have created a situation in which the public feels uneasy and cheated," Ishiba said at the kick-off ceremony. Concerns over the influx of foreigners, both temporary and permanent, have resonated with voters, with opinion polls showing a rapid surge in the popularity of tiny populist party Sanseito, which advocates a "Japanese First" agenda. Public opinion polls show the LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito are in jeopardy of losing their majority in the upper house election on July 20. (Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Michael Perry)
The Irish Sun
02-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
Tragedy as Brit tourist, 67, dies on cruise ship in popular Greek island
A BRITISH tourist has died on a cruise ship travelling through a popular Greek island. The 67-year-old man passed away on the vessel "flying the Maltese flag" in the port of holiday hotspot Corfu. Advertisement 1 A Brit tourist has died on a cruise ship Credit: CorfuNews The Port Authority said in a statement on Tuesday: "In the morning hours today, the Corfu Port Authority was informed of the death of a 67-year-old foreign passenger (British citizen) on a cruise ship (C/Z) flying the Maltese flag in the port of Corfu. "The body was transferred to the Corfu General Hospital for an autopsy. "A preliminary investigation is being conducted by the Corfu Central Port Authority." The tragedy comes after a cruise ship captain died in the middle of a 19-day voyage in Asia, as passengers were told of his death in a tannoy announcement. Advertisement Michele Bartolomei was captaining Princess Cruises' Diamond Princess when he suddenly died on May 19 following a medical emergency. His ship was on a 19-day South Islands Explorer voyage to countries including Japan and Korea. The ship was docked at Keelung, Taiwan at the time of the tragic revelation. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Exclusive A letter was also delivered to passengers to inform them of the news, according to Nine News. It read: "It is with profound sadness that we share the news of the passing of Captain Michele Bartolomei, who died on-board Diamond Princess earlier of a sudden medical emergency." The letter added: 'Our hearts are with Captain Bartolomei's family during this incredibly difficult time.' What happened on the Carnival Triumph 'poop cruise'- Netflix Trainwreck documentary explained- He was also described as a "respected leader" with 'decades of service at sea' in the message. Advertisement After the captain's sudden passing, Captain Salvatore Macera took command of the Diamond Princess ship for the rest of its journey. The letter told passengers that their "commitment to your safety and the smooth operation of this voyage remains our utmost priority". It said: 'Our highly experienced and professional bridge team is fully capable and will ensure the remainder of our journey continues as planned.' Meanwhile, another man was arrested in connection with the death of a 60-year-old man Advertisement Read more on the Irish Sun James Messham died following an "altercation" on the MSC Virtuosa as it was in British waters on Saturday May 3, during a short trip to Belgium. A 57-year-old man from Exeter, Devon, was
The Mainichi
11-06-2025
- Business
- The Mainichi
Cruise boom buoys Japan's post-pandemic tourism
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- When the Diamond Princess was quarantined off Yokohama in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Japan's cruise industry ground to a halt, its future clouded by fear and uncertainty. Today, that industry is roaring back. Demand for maritime journeys with swimming pools among a host of luxury amenities and entertainment has surged due to pent-up wanderlust and a wave of new investments. Japanese ports are seeing record domestic passenger numbers, signaling not just a revival in leisure travel, but a broader boost to local economies that rely on tourism. Japan, an archipelago of over 14,000 islands and one of the largest economies in the world, has a relatively small cruise industry and modest vessels compared to the U.S., home of giants like Carnival Cruise Line. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, however, the Japanese cruise market grew significantly in 2024, increasing by 14.2 percent year-on-year to 224,100 passengers. The number of international visitors entering Japan by cruise ship quadrupled to 1.4 million, nearly 60 percent of the record set in 2017. Kentaro Matsuura, president of cruise travel agency Yutaka Club (Tokyo), estimates domestic passengers will exceed 250,000 in 2025 and may approach the 2019 record high of 356,600 next year. With their core cargo business hit hard by U.S. President Donald Trump's import tariffs, Japanese shipping giants are developing cruise ships into thriving businesses that can produce stable income streams. Due to tariffs, shipping companies NYK Line and Mitsui O.S.K Lines Ltd. (MOL) forecast 47.7 percent and 60.0 percent year-on-year declines in net profits, respectively, in their consolidated financial accounts for fiscal 2025. NYK Cruises will launch the Asuka III on July 20, expanding its fleet to two ships, while Mitsui Ocean Cruises will add a third ship in the latter half of next year. On the evening of May 5, the Mitsui Ocean Fuji, which MOL began operating in December 2024, passed under Yokohama Bay Bridge. Nearby, in the Port of Yokohama, Mitsui's Nippon Maru was awaiting departure. Also docked was the Cunard luxury liner Queen Elizabeth. "I look forward to seeing the Asuka III," said a man viewing the ships. At 52,265 gross tons and 230 meters long, the Yokohama-based Asuka III will be the largest passenger ship in the Japanese fleet. It will be decorated with frescoes by Japanese painter Hiroshi Senju, giving it the feel of a floating art gallery, and all 381 cabins will have private seaside balconies. Her maiden voyage from July 20 to 26 will be from Yokohama to Hakodate and Otaru in Hokkaido. The costs per passenger will be between 984,000 yen ($6,800) and around 4.80 million yen. In February, NYK Line and its subsidiary Yusen Cruises reached a basic agreement on a business alliance in which Oriental Land, which operates Tokyo Disney Resort, will take over the operation and management of cruise ships scheduled to enter service in fiscal 2028. The main departure and arrival port will be Tokyo Bay, and shows featuring Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters will be held on board. A second vessel is also being considered for service. To keep up with its rival, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines in March announced that it had also bought an additional sister ship (32,477 gross tons) from the U.S.-based Seabourn Cruise Line, the seller of the Mitsui Ocean Fuji hull, to begin operations in the latter half of next year. "Mitsui Ocean Fuji has received a very positive response from customers due to the fact that they can enjoy the expansive ocean views from their cabin verandas," said MOL President Tsunemichi Mukai, adding that the addition of a sister ship will only strengthen the company's ability to attract customers. The company plans to build two passenger ships at a European shipyard and launch them in the near future.
Telegraph
07-06-2025
- Telegraph
Why a cruise is the best way to see off-the-beaten-path Japan
When I told friends I was going on a cruise in Japan, the response was mostly bemusement. 'Isn't it better to take the train?' they'd ask. It's a fair question. Japan's high-speed rail network is one of the best in the world, and the journey I'd be making – from Tokyo to Kagoshima in Kyushu, the country's most southerly island – takes just under seven hours. The cruise ship would take three days. But the point here is to travel slowly, experiencing towns and destinations off the well-trodden tourist trail, and to enjoy the ship in between. Princess Cruises' Diamond Princess was the vessel I boarded in Tokyo. Built in Japan specifically for cruises around the country, it boasts a traditional izumi Japanese baths, a high-grade sushi restaurant (where Japanese chefs carve up fresh, local fish and seafood), and even Tai Chi classes held daily on the pool deck. I arrived in Tokyo early, allowing myself time to explore this frenetic city at my own pace, wandering amongst its ultra-modern high rises and winding narrow back streets stuffed with hole-in-the-wall izakaya bars, and spending long lazy lunches at tiny ramen restaurants – where I was just one of a handful of diners seated at a counter – watching the chef working a cauldron of steaming hand-pulled noodles. On my final afternoon, I headed to Tokyo's Meiji Jingu Shrine to pull my ' omikuji ', or oracle, ahead of my voyage. These fortunes – which usually contain words of affirmation, thoughts about the world and ethical musings – come in the form of ' waka ' (traditional Japanese poems of 31 syllables), of which Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken (to whom the shrine is dedicated) were said to be prolific composers. To receive one, visitors shake a hexagonal box with a small hole until a single, numbered chopstick falls out. Each number corresponds to a numbered wooden box, and inside it is a waka, written on a thin strip of paper. It is hoped that the poem's message, based on the traditional Shinto ethics, will have particular meaning for the reader. I was pleased to see my oracle telling of success in health, wealth, love and family matters – and especially delighted when it declared that my travels would be 'pleasing'. A promising omen. The following day – waka safely tucked into my luggage – I boarded the ship and we headed for Miyazaki, Japan's warmest city. This was immediately evident in the change in the landscape: where Gingko, maple and candyfloss-pink puffballs of early cherry blossom had characterised the scene in Tokyo, here these were supplanted by palm trees, tangled jungle greenery and beaches – home to some of the best for surfing in all of Japan. We stopped at a viewpoint and, as I gazed out across the lush scenery, a peregrine falcon suddenly swooped menacingly towards me, its coal-black eyes fixed on the packet of wagyu-flavoured crisps in my hands. I lurched backwards but, at the last minute, it peeled away from me, talons retracted. A lucky escape, perhaps – or was my oracle looking out for me? From there, we made for Aoshima, a diminutive island with a circumference of just 1.5km, connected to the mainland by a slender footbridge and surrounded by curious rock formations known as 'the Devil's Washboard'. It was all too easy to imagine a giant dragging its claws through the ebony mudstone and watching as it hardened into lines. The bewitching Aoshima Shrine sits at the centre of the island, surrounded by more than 400 species of subtropical plants. At the temple's oracle zone, I tossed a clay disk into a ring and it shattered, giving me – the oracle there claimed – another dose of Japanese luck. Next was Kagoshima, known as the 'Naples of the Orient' due to its coastal location and active volcano, Sakura Jima, which puffs clouds of ash (grey safe; white danger) into the bay. We visited the popular Ibusuki spa resort on the outskirts of the city, where I was buried up to my neck in black volcanic sand, then feasted on steaming bowls of sabi-sabi hot pot. That afternoon, we travelled inland to the Chiran Samurai Houses, a village of well-preserved Samurai dwellings – some still inhabited by descendants of the Shimazu samurai. Their clan had once ruled the area, until – during the Meiji Restoration of 1868 – Kagoshima's Satsuma samurai led a battle that toppled the Shogun (local feudal commander) and restored power to the Emperor. But it was our arrival in Nagasaki which proved the most poignant. As the sun rose over the East China Sea, the city's iconic Hirado O-hashi suspension bridge (tomato red, often likened to San Francisco's Golden Gate) appeared to part the low-lying clouds. Our first stop was the Atomic Bomb Museum, which displays a sobering and comprehensive collection that recounts the devastation inflicted on the city and its residents in 1945. More moving still is the peace memorial, located in a tranquil park nearby. With much to process, we broke for lunch, feasting on delicate sashimi and bento served in beautiful lacquerware boxes decorated with traditional Maki-e patterns, a 1,200-year-old technique of painting motifs onto lacquer and sprinkling gold powder before the material hardens. But there is far more to Nagasaki than its tragedy – and our afternoon was dedicated to exploring other aspects of its fascinating past. A notable highlight was the city's Dejima district, a former island built first to contain Portuguese missionaries, and later Dutch traders, to keep them away from the city's Japanese population during Japan's two centuries of isolation. The reconstructed residences show how life was for the only Westerners permitted in the country during that time. On the last day of the cruise – bound for Tokyo once more – I stood on the deck of Diamond Princess, watching southern Japan's craggy mountains melting into the horizon. I looked again at my waka. 'Your request will be granted.' It read. 'The patient will get well. Building a new house will be well. Marriage of any kind and a new employment are both well.' The waka was as good as its word. That week, I returned home to find a job offer awaiting me, our application for a loft extension approved, and news that a family member, who had been waiting on hospital test results, had been declared healthy. Suffice to say, the Shinto oracles had worked their magic. Essentials Emilee Tombs was a guest of Princess Cruises, which offers the 10-night Japan Explorer sailing from £979 per person (based on two sharing an inside stateroom) or £2,219 per person (based on two sharing a balcony stateroom). Departs February 24, 2026.
Kyodo News
02-06-2025
- Business
- Kyodo News
FEATURE: Cruise boom buoys Japan's post-pandemic tourism
By Keiichiro Otsuka, KYODO NEWS - 19 hours ago - 10:42 | Feature, All, Japan, Travel/Tourism When the Diamond Princess was quarantined off Yokohama in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Japan's cruise industry ground to a halt, its future clouded by fear and uncertainty. Today, that industry is roaring back. Demand for maritime journeys with swimming pools among a host of luxury amenities and entertainment has surged due to pent-up wanderlust and a wave of new investments. Japanese ports are seeing record domestic passenger numbers, signaling not just a revival in leisure travel, but a broader boost to local economies that rely on tourism. Japan, an archipelago of over 14,000 islands and one of the largest economies in the world, has a relatively small cruise industry and modest vessels compared to the U.S., home of giants like Carnival Cruise Line. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, however, the Japanese cruise market grew significantly in 2024, increasing by 14.2 percent year-on-year to 224,100 passengers. The number of international visitors entering Japan by cruise ship quadrupled to 1.4 million, nearly 60 percent of the record set in 2017. Kentaro Matsuura, president of cruise travel agency Yutaka Club (Tokyo), estimates domestic passengers will exceed 250,000 in 2025 and may approach the 2019 record high of 356,600 next year. With their core cargo business hit hard by U.S. President Donald Trump's import tariffs, Japanese shipping giants are developing cruise ships into thriving businesses that can produce stable income streams. Due to tariffs, shipping companies NYK Line and Mitsui O.S.K Lines Ltd. (MOL) forecast 47.7 percent and 60.0 percent year-on-year declines in net profits, respectively, in their consolidated financial accounts for fiscal 2025. NYK Cruises will launch the Asuka III on July 20, expanding its fleet to two ships, while Mitsui Ocean Cruises will add a third ship in the latter half of next year. On the evening of May 5, the Mitsui Ocean Fuji, which MOL began operating in December 2024, passed under Yokohama Bay Bridge. Nearby, in the Port of Yokohama, Mitsui's Nippon Maru was awaiting departure. Also docked was the Cunard luxury liner Queen Elizabeth. "I look forward to seeing the Asuka III," said a man viewing the ships. At 52,265 gross tons and 230 meters long, the Yokohama-based Asuka III will be the largest passenger ship in the Japanese fleet. It will be decorated with frescoes by Japanese painter Hiroshi Senju, giving it the feel of a floating art gallery, and all 381 cabins will have private seaside balconies. Her maiden voyage from July 20 to 26 will be from Yokohama to Hakodate and Otaru in Hokkaido. The costs per passenger will be between 984,000 yen ($6,800) and around 4.80 million yen. In February, NYK Line and its subsidiary Yusen Cruises reached a basic agreement on a business alliance in which Oriental Land, which operates Tokyo Disney Resort, will take over the operation and management of cruise ships scheduled to enter service in fiscal 2028. The main departure and arrival port will be Tokyo Bay, and shows featuring Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters will be held on board. A second vessel is also being considered for service. To keep up with its rival, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines in March announced that it had also bought an additional sister ship (32,477 gross tons) from the U.S.-based Seabourn Cruise Line, the seller of the Mitsui Ocean Fuji hull, to begin operations in the latter half of next year. "Mitsui Ocean Fuji has received a very positive response from customers due to the fact that they can enjoy the expansive ocean views from their cabin verandas," said MOL President Tsunemichi Mukai, adding that the addition of a sister ship will only strengthen the company's ability to attract customers. The company plans to build two passenger ships at a European shipyard and launch them in the near future. Related coverage: Former Diamond Princess passengers mark 5 yrs since COVID outbreak Disney Cruise Line makes Singapore its 1st home port in Asia
