New hordes of inbound visitors to be welcomed by sleazy opportunists

At long last, from Tuesday, travel restrictions imposed due to the COVID pandemic will be coming down, and inbound travel to Japan can gradually be expected to return to the profitable situation that existed prior to 2020.

According to the South Korean daily newspaper Chosun Ilbo, bookings of Japan-bound organized tours during September were up 24-fold over the month of August.

Of course there's a downside to be expected as well.

In its latest installment of the ongoing series titled "Japan is Endangered," Asahi Geino (Oct 13) looks at developments in the vicinity of the Kansai International Airport, which is likely to attract large numbers of people from neighboring Asian countries eager to take in famous sights like the temples of Kyoto -- as well as take advantage of the devalued Japanese yen.

Since its opening in 1994, Kansai International Airport, known as Kanku for short, has had the distinction of being the world's first major facility to be situated on a manmade island.

"Chinese companies have had their eye on how utilitarian Kanku is, and have begun purchasing property here in the city," remarked the operator of a business in Izumisano City, where the airport is located. "In general I'm not particularly concerned over who buys land, but these people tend not to abide by the established rules."

One such rule concerns operation of minpaku (private residences that take in temporary lodgers). An establishment he refers to only as "S," located in neighboring Sennan City, was demolished to make way for a new building, which has brought with it a host of problems for the locals.

"The demolition crew didn't spread out protective plastic sheeting, so the nearby houses were filled with dust," said a woman in the neighborhood. "When a city employee came to investigate the mess they were generating, the worker responded by saying he didn't understand Japanese."

The new building in question will serve as an "annex" to an existing minpaku nearby, operated by the same Chinese company.

"It's because the Chinese tourists who fly here aboard low-cost carriers (LCCs) generally have to get up extremely early to catch their flights home," a travel agent explains. "Since there's no public transport to the airport from Osaka, they rely on hotels, which ferry them to the air terminal."

One building in the planning stage, with space to accommodate up to 80 overnight occupants, will be located in a residential area bordering on National Highway 26. The frontage road is only 3.7 meters wide, and the coming and going of 4-ton trucks has been wreaking havoc on the locals.

According to the head of Narutaki Ward in Sennan City, one Chinese outfit is said to be in arrears of paying its 10,000-yen monthly business association fee for the past years. When reminded of their lapse, the principal irately brushes off the request, insisting such fees constitute no more than "protection" from gangs.

"The guiding principle of Chinese businesses is profitability, and if an activity makes money, that's good enough for them," said a writer familiar with Chinese businesses. "They started by renting cheap apartment buildings, but ultimately they wanted to become owners, which they're moved to do because their own country doesn't allow individual land ownership."

Another problem that has surfaced, the writer continued, are the profusion of unlicensed commercial vehicles.

"Gypsy cabs have become problems at Narita and Kanku. Behind these operations are so-called resellers who profit from snatching up scarce products that are in high demand in China -- like Nintendo DS game units or Pampers disposable diapers -- and carry them back to China for resale."

These operations are supported by a thriving trade in used motor vehicles. The purchasers spend extra to install automatic door openers and taxi meters. The vehicles are then resold to their Chinese compatriots.

"Actually some operators on good terms with Japanese taxi drivers buy their used cabs, and then they start work as gypsy cabs," said the aforementioned writer. "Every type of business they're involved in, they're initially dependent on cooperation from Japanese. Of course some also get by paying sode no shita (under the sleeve, i.e., bribes) to officials. These guys are specialists who know how to turn profits from businesses that operate outside the law."

© Japan Today