Japan asked to lift warning

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Visiting Japanese travel agents have called on their government to lift its warning on travel to Yogyakarta.

T. Narita, the president of International Developers Inc., which represents about 30 Japanese tourism agencies, said on Wednesday the travel warning should be lifted because unlike other areas of the country, the situation in the city was safe.

"We will talk to our government about the possibility of changing the travel advisory status for Yogyakarta from the present level one to level zero," he said during a meeting between travel agents and journalists from Japan and representatives of the local government and travel industry.

Narita said the number of Japanese tourists traveling to Yogyakarta dropped from 300,000 in 1997 to 80,000 in 1999.

He said the level one travel warning meant that Japanese citizens should be on the alert for possible disturbances during travel in the area.

He said the Japanese government decided to maintain its level- one travel advisory for Yogyakarta after a recent mass gathering of Muslim groups ended in disorder, including the stoning of churches. (44/cst)