InsideJapan News Network

Japanese business leaders have launched a campaign to attract tourists back to the country following the March 11th earthquake.

Naoyoshi Yamada, of the Japan Tourism Agency, said that the government has pledged 7 billion yen (£53 million) to promoting the country as a destination, AFP reports.

Moreover, it has been announced that Tokyo will host the Global Travel and Tourism Summit in April 2012, as a sign of the global travel industry's confidence in Japan.

Atsutoshi Nishida, the chairman of technology firm Toshiba, threw his weight behind the campaign, saying in no uncertain terms "Japan is safe".

Visitor numbers have plunged by more than 50 per cent since the natural disasters, which struck the north east region of the country earlier this year, resulting in a 90 per cent downturn for the tourism industry.

However, there are tentative signs that the situation is improving, with travel figures better than expected during the Golden Week holiday, when the Japanese people traditionally celebrate the famed cherry blossoms.

Written by Susan Ballion