TOKYO — Caroline Kennedy arrived in Japan on Friday to take up her position as U.S. ambassador, the first woman to serve in the post and one who is from a political family familiar to many here.

"I bring greetings from President Obama," she said in after getting off the plane with her husband, Edwin Schlossberg, at Narita airport.

"I am also proud to carry forward my father's legacy of public service," said the 55-year-old daughter of late President John F. Kennedy. "He had hoped to be the first U.S. president to visit Japan. So it is a special honor for me to be able to work to strengthen the close ties between our two great countries."

Kennedy's appointment is being widely acclaimed here. As the daughter of the late president and an early supporter of President Obama, her selection is seen as reassurance of the special relationship between the two countries.

The weakened yen and promotional packages fueled a surge in Southeast Asian visitors to Japan in May that offset the decline in Chinese tourists that has continued since a territorial spat erupted.

The number of visitors from Thailand soared 67.8 percent in May from the same month last year, while the increase was 39.3 percent for Indonesians and 24.5 percent for Singaporeans, according to a report released June 19 by the Japan National Tourism Organization.

Tourist numbers from Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam also rose by double digits, the report showed.

Overall, 875,400 tourists visited Japan in May, up 31.2 percent from the previous year. The number is a record for May and the third largest monthly total.

Tourists from South Korea and Taiwan--the largest and the second largest groups--were also higher than last year. Visitors from South Korea, Taiwan, China and Hong Kong still account for 65 percent of all foreign travelers to Japan.

However, the number of tourists from China has drastically fallen since the Japanese government bought three of the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea from private ownership in September 2012. The acquisition triggered anti-Japan protests across China, which also claims sovereignty over the uninhabited isles.

With no end in sight to the dispute, the Japanese government plans to raise visitor numbers from Southeast Asia and lower its dependence on tourists from East Asian countries.

Specifically, it wants to attract 1 million Southeast Asian tourists this year, and 2 million in 2016. The number was 780,000 last year.

To achieve these goals, the Japan Tourism Agency plans to lower conditions for Southeast Asians to obtain tourist visas to the same level as those for South Koreans. The eased requirements will allow Thai and Malaysian tourists to enter Japan without visas by this summer.

Another thing working in the favor of Japanese tourism officials is the weakened yen.

Nazerah Mohamed, 44, a Singaporean elementary school teacher, and her husband joined a six-day, five-night tour to Hokkaido and Tokyo. They ended up at the Takeya discount store in Tokyo’s Taito Ward on June 19 to buy chocolates and other souvenirs.

“The mesh-grilled scallops we had near Lake Toyako were delicious,” Nazerah said.

An official of a Tokyo-based company involved in arrangements for the tour said, “Buoyed by the weakening yen, the demand for tours that cater to Southeast Asians has been rising since the end of last year.”

The influx of Southeast Asian tourists is also evident at department stores.

The increase in Thai shoppers in May was largely behind the highest monthly duty-free goods sales at the Takashimaya department store in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward since 2008, store officials said.

Thippawan Yongsiriwit, 56, a Thai civil-service worker, bought three Issey Miyake brand bags at the store.

“Due to the weakening yen, they are about 30 percent less expensive in Japan,” said Thippawan, who added that Issei Miyake brand goods have gained in popularity in Thailand because they are the favorites of the Thai queen.

Japan’s tourism companies have also taken measures to increase visitor numbers from Southeast Asia.

In April, a record 12,500 foreign group tourists visited the Shinyokohama Raumen Museum in Yokohama, a facility featuring ramen noodle specialties from across Japan. Thai tourists accounted for 60 percent of the total.

India In Transition
The Perception Gap In Japan-India Relations

Victoria Tuke
03/25/2013

Despite favorable geopolitical conditions such as concern over the nature of China’s rise, the relationship between India and Japan remains one of unfulfilled potential. The persistence of a “perception gap” between the two is preventing deeper engagement.

At first glance, India and Japan appear natural partners. Located on the periphery of Asia, both are examples of economic growth developing in line with democratic values. Furthermore, India and Japan share no territorial disputes or historical animosity. Since a nadir following India’s nuclear tests in 1998, relations have evolved apace yet certain sticking points are holding back its promise.

During the Cold War, India and Japan adopted contradictory political and – crucially for Japan as a trading-nation – economic systems. India’s economic liberalization in 1991 encouraged some commercial interest but this was low as Japan concentrated efforts on China and Southeast Asian markets. South Korean companies, in contrast, who are less risk-averse than Japanese, established an early presence in India and have since proven more aggressive and hence successful. Progress has been made in attracting Japanese interest, most recently evident in the predicted announcement in May 2012 that Japan will sell India advanced bullet-train technology, but despite momentum in this stream of diplomacy, elevating relations to the strategic level has proved problematic.

By KEITH BRADSHER
Published: April 8, 2013

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Tiffany & Company is quietly building a diamond-polishing factory in Cambodia, a country popularly associated more with killing fields and land mines than baubles.

Some of Japan’s biggest manufacturers are also rushing to set up operations in Phnom Penh to make wiring harnesses for cars and touch screens and vibration motors for cellphones. European companies are not far behind, making dance shoes and microfiber sleeves for sunglasses.

Foreign companies are flocking to Cambodia for a simple reason. They want to limit their overwhelming reliance on factories in China.

Problems are multiplying fast for foreign investors in China. Blue-collar wages have surged, quadrupling in the last decade as a factory construction boom has coincided with waning numbers of young people interested in factory jobs. Starting last year, the labor force has actually begun shrinking because of the “one child” policy and an aging population.

“Every couple days, I’m getting calls from manufacturers who want to move their businesses here from China,” said Bradley Gordon, an American lawyer in Phnom Penh.