Japan's ports to woo more foreign cruise ships

Tokyo

JAPAN'S ports are witnessing a sharp spike in the number of visits by foreign cruise ships. The government plans to accelerate the development of ports around the country to attract large cruise ships, as part of the recently passed economic stimulus package.

Cruise ships bring large numbers of foreign shoppers and are thus important to the local economies of port cities. This year, overseas cruise ships are expected to dock at Japan's top 20 ports more than 1,600 times, a 40 per cent rise from last year.