Overseas experiences will help broaden young people's perspectives and knowledge and contribute to developing a friendlier environment for visitors to Japan.

The problem is that less and less young people are interested in going abroad

Many people go abroad but the point of the comment is what they do there (as well as where and how long).

It is less easy now than it used to be, when numbers were up. For young people, overseas travel impacts more on personal levels, than the for simply the social environment in the country that interested parties in tourism dream about.

Rather, the JET scheme has had a deep impact: by now generations of people here have seen up close and interacted with gaijin (albeit mostly Englsh-speaking hakujin) than before. When I arrived in 1985 (the year before they first advertised for 'AET's - they were not 'ALT's at first) middle-aged ladies would come unasked to touch by 'blond' hair which actually was a very dark brown, astounding me. Now they don't. My hair is not dark brown any more, nor are the ladies all as socially and culturally naive.

Meanwhile, fewer people interested in going abroad for life-changing experiences might reflect more on the culture and society now as a whole than on just the outward veneer the tourist people are interested in.

I always felt that money would be better spent helping to fund young people going overseas rather than bringing in people to teach English. Or, at least, split the funds used so 1/2 finances domestic English education and the other 1/2 funds kids going overseas for a year.

Japan Tourism Agency is searching for ways to relieve Japanese young adults of their money.

I like to shout it out....

....change the way English is taught here, less of mesmerizing grammar

test but active learning of the language and please get the Japanese

English teacher to talk in English when teaching. As it was mentioned

by Tokyo-Engr split up the budget between the JET and focus support

those who are keen in progressing in the language such as sponsor

exchange program,abroad visiting, home stay, incentives,more English

study material available and affordable, event gathering local and foreigner from countries from every part of the world etc.....have a vision in focus Yes, definitely

encouraging overseas travel have great influences in opening up our thinking

and experiences ....

The idea of opening culture by going overseas is only effective if the young people actually have true interaction with the overseas culture.

Having a "Japan bubble" of a tour group that has a meticulously planned out schedule with Japanese speaking guide, holding a little flag on a stick and doing things no differently than if they'd gone to Yokohama instead doesn't give cultural awareness and understanding. A bubble where they don't have to actually interact with any of the people overseas beyond maybe smiling and taking pictures isn't going to accomplish any goals.

Aly is correct to point out that the data points to young people being less interested in going abroad.

The number of Japanese studying abroad has also fallen compared to the past. With the world more connected and "internationalized", this mightn't be what you would expect, but it's what the numbers show.

Since this is a JTA announcement, I'll just say that it is their job to welcome foreign tourists and give them a good time, not young Japanese people's. Lots of young people in big tourism countries like France, Spain, Greece etc. will be indifferent or worse to tourists. You don't get people coming back from France talking about how friendly and warm the locals were. On a scale of friendliness to tourists, I would say Japanese young people score much higher than JTA score on a scale of basic competence.

domtoidiToday  10:10 am JST

Japan Tourism Agency is searching for ways to relieve Japanese young adults of their money.

Honestly, I think you've got it spot on. Not as many Japanese people are going abroad, so the Japan Tourism Agency has to invent an excuse to justify foreign travel. Hence they hedged their argument halfway between bland platitudes and crass economics.