Koizumi stars in promo ad

Koizumi stars in promo ad

TOKYO: "Try authentic sushi and tempura." It's not a sign outside
some Japanese restaurant, but a line Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi hopes will lure tourists to Japan.

As part of a government campaign to double the number of
tourists to 10 million a year by 2010, Koizumi has recorded a
promotional video.

Speaking in English he urges people to experience Japan's
traditional culture, including the two famous dishes.

It is the first time a Japanese prime minister has starred in
such a video, a transport ministry official said on Wednesday.

The video will be run on international flights and in
television commercial overseas, including the United States and
neighboring South Korea.

The media-savvy Koizumi, 61, was said to have been keen to
play a role in promoting tourism, which he hopes will help
revitalize the economy.

But some Japanese may take a different view.

A November opinion poll showed one-third of Japanese do not
want more tourists from abroad, saying they fear a rise in crime
rates, already at their worst levels since World War II.

Such feelings have risen, fanned by almost daily media reports
of crimes by foreigners, even though police data shows that non-
Japanese commit only a tiny fraction of crime in the nation. --
Reuters