Prof. Abe : Thank you. Do any of the panelists have any comments on this opinion?
Mr. Shimizu : I quite agree with him.
Prof. Abe : So do I. As he said, Japan still has to make more of an effort. Frankly speaking. Japan still has the disposition of national isolation and reservations about opening its doors to foreign tourists, as well as having various regulations, all of which inhibit the international exchange which is vital today. Thank you very much for your opinion, Are there any other opinions?
Mr. Tanaka : I am Mr. Tanaka from JTB. Ms. Uehara has told us about the grass-roots diplomacy and activities of the people in Amenomori in transforming their community. Their method of incorporating international exchange within their transformation plan is new to me - before today my idea of international exchange was that at an administrative level, or overseas trips made by individuals. Ms. Uehara has also mentioned Nagahama's Black Wall which I have not heard of before and I would like to hear more detailed information about it.
Prof. Abe : Well, I am afraid we do not enough time left, but will you please just outline it, Ms. Uehara?
Ms. Uehara : Later I will give Mr. Tanaka a copy of today's issue of the Kyoto Shinbun, the Shiga Prefecture version of which contains an article about the Black Wall. However, let me allow a few minutes to explain about it.
The Black Wall was originally an old bank with a black wall which was due to be demolished. The local citizens, however, raised enough money to save it and turned it into a sightseeing attraction. With additional funds from a subsidy given by Nagahama City, 21 shops have been constructed so far which are characterized by a variety of glass products which are sold there, the kind of which we did not have before. A street which, as recently as 1989, was empty of a Sunday lunch time, now sees one million visitors a year. The transformation of this city is a success story and I think this is especially so because it was achieved through the efforts of the citizens themselves .
The Black Wall is currently holding the "Exhibition of Hideyoshi" but I cannot tell you details of it now. Some 400 senior citizen volunteers are working to assist the exhibition. Uniformed in fashionable golden jumpers, they are seen standing on the corners of the town. They are very energetic and say "We will have nothing to do once the exhibition is over. Hopefully, we can then work as volunteers for something else." I am very proud of our citizens, whose efforts have seen the success of various events .
The citizens of Nagahama have a great interest in international exchange as well, and the city began issuing Japan's first culture cards last June. Following the case of the Okayama International Villa, similar services have been launched by a private organization, using a renovated house donated by a citizen as an international community house. I am truly happy to see such wonderful achievements being brought about by our own citizens.
Prof. Abe : Thank you. Now we have only a few minutes for one more comment.
Mr. Washizu : My name is Mr. Washizu, Director of the Planning Section in the Tourism Department of the Ministry of Transport. I would like to thank all the panelists for their very useful opinions. As a government official, I am probably better informed on the present situation discussed by the NTO from an Asian country than the panelists, and so would like to explain about it.
With regards to visas, I quite agree with his opinion and we in the Ministry of Transport are trying to issue visas more freely so that many more tourists can visit Japan. However, there are
