The Unfulfilled Plan of “Nation Building through Tourism” in the Occupied Japan

―Investigation of Discussions and Practices about International Tourism Policy inside the Japanese Government and Outside―

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the background, content, and process of tourism policies during the occupation period of Japan by exploring the discussions and practices. This paper conducted a survey of (1) the diet proceedings, (2) the discussions of the theory of “nation building through tourism,” and (3) the tourism businesses of local governments. This paper found that (1) there was continuity from the prewar period. (2) There were discussions of significance and possibility of tourism, which wasn’t limited to the acquisition of foreign currency and cultural diplomacy. (3) The lack of interest of lawmakers, austerity measures and the Korean War led to stagnation in the advancement of tourism policies.