With the spread of infections with the new coronavirus, cruise ships from around the world have stopped making calls at ports in Japan. Reasons include the large number of people aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship anchored off Yokohama in February becoming infected with the coronavirus and restrictions on entry from abroad.
According to the transport ministry, all 24 foreign cruise ships scheduled to call at ports in Japan in March canceled their plans. There is also no prospect of activity restarting from April.
At least 11 large cruise ships have canceled their call at Hakodate Port in Hokkaido in late April and beyond, including Britain's luxury liner the Queen Elizabeth. In fiscal 2020, a record 50 cruise ships accounting for 100,000 people were expected to visit the port, up from 47 in fiscal 2019.
At Wakamatsu Pier near Hakodate Station, a passenger terminal and pier for large cruise ships are under construction. The project is costing the Hakodate municipal government about 1.4 billion yen. An official in charge of the project said, "We have no choice but to continue gathering information and wait and see how things go."
According to the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry, 1,001 cruise ships called at ports throughout Japan in 2013. In 2019, that number increased to 2,867, driven by the popularity in China of cruises. The number of foreign visitors to Japan aboard cruise ships has increased by more than 10 times, from 174,000 in 2013 to 2.15 million in 2019. This had brought economic benefits to various regions.
However, with the new coronavirus continuing to spread, a ministry official said, "We're not in a position to think about the future."
In Ishikawa Prefecture, officials and others had strengthened their pitches to Western cruise ship companies, leading to the number of people landing at Kanazawa Port increasing from 2,200 in 2012 to a record 63,000 last year. However, nine cruise ships scheduled to call at the port in April and May have canceled.
"I just hope [the pandemic] will end soon," said a prefectural government official.
Last year, 27 cruise ships visited Aomori Port with an estimated economic effect of about 23 million yen per ship.
"Cruise ships bring life to our city, so I'm worried they won't come," said a woman who sells Tsugaru lacquerware in central Aomori City. "But health is more important, so it can't be helped."
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