digitaljournal.com – May 10, 2016 – Amid the declining popularity of skiing, the Japanese government plans to ease the visa requirement for overseas ski instructors wanting to work in Japan.
The move is aimed not only at revitalizing the industry but preventing foreign tourists from illegally working as ski instructors while visiting the country as well, according to a report from Kyodo news agency.
Aside from seeking to amend a relevant ordinance, the Justice Ministry is also considering granting a resident status to foreign ski instructors with the highest-level qualification issued by the Switzerland-based International Ski Instructors Association, which has a membership of 10,700 worldwide.
To acquire a resident status, the ministry said foreign ski instructors seeking employment in Japan must possess an experience of at least three years competing in major events such as the Olympics and world championships.
During a recent convention among stakeholders initiated by the Japan Tourism Agency, it was found out that the strict visa requirement has been a hindrance to the effort to revive the industry.
Many ski schools across Japan, following a survey by the JTA, favored the move to import more foreign ski teachers with at least 25 of the country’s 129 ski schools saying they wanted to hire over 80 overseas instructors.
A survey in 2010 revealed that tourists from Australia, South Korea and China chose winter sports, including skiing, over marine sports, golf and mountain climbing.
Graying society and the decreasing birthrate are being blamed for the decline in the popularity of skiing in Japan. In 2013, the number of people snowboarding or skiing in the country fell to 7.7 million from 18 million in 1998.
With over 600 resorts, Japan has been a premier skiing destination in Asia, having hosted the Winter Olympics twice and the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships twice.
Favorite areas are Nagano, the venue of the 1998 Winter Olympics, which is a train ride away from Tokyo, and the northernmost island of Hokkaido, where the annual Sapporo Snow Festival is held. Niigata and Tohoku are also drawing thousands of foreign tourists a year.