Japan cuts red tape for private jets, superyachts for smooth-sailing luxury travel

Japan wants to simplify landing regulations at airports for foreign-registered jets as part of its broader drive to attract big-spending tourists

Wealthy tourists made up only 0.9 per cent of all foreign arrivals to Japan in 2019, but they accounted for 11.5 per cent of total tourist spending

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A view of Enoshima Yacht Harbour in Fujisawa, Japan. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 6:30pm, 29 May 2023Updated: 7:11pm, 29 May 2023

Japan wants to entice super-rich foreign travellers to visit on a whim by slashing the red tape which deters last-minute arrivals of private jets and superyachts, as it bids to rival luxury Asian destinations such as Singapore.

More than 10 per cent of Japan’s tourist earnings come from a tiny number of ultra-rich visitors, and the government wants to encourage more of them to visit – and more frequently.

Travel operators say the initiative could lure multimillionaires zipping across the Asia-Pacific region who have the sudden urge to stop by a temple in Kyoto, or have an afternoon on the ski slopes of Niseko.

And Japan’s high-end travel sector is booming, from the new Bvlgari Hotel in Tokyo to the luxurious Sowaka hotel in Kyoto, and dinner at Aragawa, in the Nishi-Shimbashi district of the capital, where the meal will set you back well over 100,000 yen (US$700) a head.

An aerial view of Niseko, Japan’s top ski destination. Photo: Shutterstock

But they warn Japan still lacks the infrastructure expected by the globe-trotting rich, such as departure lounges, concierge and limousine services they are used to in Monaco, Dubai or Aspen, Colorado.