Japanese TV Reports on the Mass Exodus of Foreigners

Yesterday, Japan’s ATV aired a 15 minute special report about how how foreigners have been avoiding Japan because of fears about radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident. The report focuses on the economic impact that a drop in tourism and an exodus of foreign workers:

• The drop in tourism can be felt in Akihabara. Large groups of big-spending Chinese tourists, once a regular sight in the area, are nowhere to be seen. Maids say that less foreigners are visiting their cafe.
• The manager of the New Koyo Hotel says that there has been a huge drop in reservations by foreign tourists. His reservation record book is full of empty spaces, many of which used to have names of customers but were erased after they cancelled their trips to Tokyo. At the moment, about 80% of his rooms are empty. He says that most cancellations were made because of the Fukushima nuclear accident.

• The number of foreign students in Japan has dropped. At one international dormitory in Tokyo, about two-thirds of the residents have left the country. They have “temporarily” fled due to fears about radiation.
• A real estate agent who specializes in helping Chinese people buy apartments in Tokyo says his business is ruined for the time being. New customers have stopped coming to Japan. Chinese who recently purchased apartments through the agent are no afraid that radioactive contamination will make their investments worthless, so they are putting the apartments up for sale.
• They visit a Chinese restaurant in Tokyo. It was popular up until the earthquake, but it is now closed. Fear and panic about radiation caused all of the restaurant’s owners and employees to flee the country in terror. It is not clear when, if ever, they plan to reopen the restaurant.
• Many foreign “trainees” who perform manual labor at factories have fled Japan. At a clothing factory in Tokyo, they find that only one of its five Chinese workers has left the country. They interview her by phone, and she says that she returned to China because her family was worried about radiation from Fukushima. Some of the other workers at the factory had considered leaving Japan after the announcement that Tokyo’s water supply had been contaminated, but after radiation levels dropped, they decided to stay. They are concerned about food and water safety, but do not feel like abandoning their employer.
• Farms are struggling after losing some of their “trainee” laborers. At once farm in Ibaraki, work has become very difficult after 3 of its 4 Chinese laborers left Japan.
• However, not all hope is lost for Japan’s farmers. The previously-mentioned farmer was able to hire 2 new employees: a Japanese couple who from Minamisoma city. They’d been living in an evacuation shelter since the nuclear accident and needed new jobs. Although they have no experience with farming, they seem happy to be working.

The drop in tourism and exodus of foreigners could have a huge impact on the Japanese economy. One economist estimates that the damage to the Japanese economy could reach 1.5 trillion yen.

Related video: A few days earlier, a shorter report about the radiation fears of foreigners also aired on Asahi.

A few points covered in the second video:

• An exhibition of paintings by French artist Maurice Denis has been cancelled in Yamanashi. The owners of many of the paintings are afraid to loan them to a Japanese museum. Denis’ granddaughter, who had been working to organize the loan, says that sensational French media coverage has convinced some people that all of Japan is now a flooded wasteland filled with burning buildings. Yamanashi, which is about 300 kilometers away from the disaster area, has suffered no damage and is not in danger of radioactive contamination.
• At sushi restaurant in Thailand, customers have dropped off by 70%. The restaurant’s use of fish imported from Japan had once been a major attraction for customers, but now it is a source of fear. Despite radiation checks that show absolutely no contamination, some people are still afraid to eat there.
• Chinese and Korean travel companies are no longer sending large tour groups to Japan. Few people are interested in traveling to Japan because they are afraid of radiation. There is also a feeling that it would be disrespectful to happily enjoy tourism in a country that is in a state of post-disaster mourning.
• The report closes with a sound bite from Yukio Edano asking the media to accurately report the situation. We are also shown a map of the various countries that have placed bans or new checks on Japanese food imports.

Note: Mulboyne has pointed to a few factors that are not mentioned in the story about the art exhibition: curators won’t come, insurance premiums have skyrocketed, and power cuts could threaten galleries.

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