Kagoshima's Free Shinkansen for Foreign Tourists Sparks 'Japanese Discrimination' Backlash
Kagoshima Prefecture has announced a plan in its 2026 fiscal year budget proposal to fully subsidize one-way fares on the Kyushu Shinkansen (Hakata-Kagoshima-Chuo route) for inbound foreign tourists. This has led to a deluge of criticism on social media, with terms like "Japanese discrimination" and "foreigner favoritism." This measure was put forth by Kagoshima Prefecture with the aim of "enhancing the earning power of tourism." It targets foreign tourists from countries and regions with direct flights to Kagoshima, including South Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the United States, and Thailand. The budget allocated for this subsidy is approximately 277.92 million yen, earmarked under the "Special Project for Promoting Inbound Tourism," out of the roughly 3.5 billion yen tourism-related budget for fiscal year 2026. In response to this announcement, many Japanese users have voiced questions and dissatisfaction on X (formerly Twitter). The main c...