Ending the prolonged civil war in Libya
Two months have passed since coalition forces led by the United States, Britain and France militarily intervened in Libya, where civic demonstrations against the autocratic rule of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi have developed into a civil war.
Gaddafi's one-man rule was expected to end, but instead he remains in power and shows no signs of stopping his forces' attacks on antigovernment rebels. The effectiveness of the coalition forces commanded by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has come into question.
The initial aim of the coalition was to protect civilians from attacks by Gaddafi's forces. To this end, the U.N. Security Council authorized "all necessary measures" against the regime, excluding the insertion of ground forces in any part of Libyan territory.
Partly due to the coalition's air strikes against air bases and tanks of the Gaddafi regime, the fall of Benghazi, a key stronghold held by the opposition forces, and the massacre of citizens by Gaddafi's forces were averted. Yet, a seesaw battle for supremacy continues between Gaddafi's forces and antigovernment rebels.
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Coalition called ineffective
Some people criticize the NATO operation as merely shoring up the rebels, whose military strength and equipment are inferior to those of Gaddafi's forces.
Should this internal strife drag on, the death toll will continue rising. The legitimacy of NATO's military intervention may also be undermined.
If NATO attempts to inject ground forces to effect a breakthrough, it will need a new U.N. Security Council resolution.
But there is no possibility that China and Russia, which have veto power in the council, will approve a full-scale military intervention aimed at toppling Gaddafi's regime.
Most importantly, the United States-- which has few reserve forces due to its involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq--is unenthusiastic about the idea. U.S. President Barack Obama has repeatedly said the United States is not seeking to overthrow the Gaddafi regime.
Both France and Britain are keen to see a regime change in Libya. Yet they are not powerful enough to carry out such an operation without the United States.
As long as there are significant gaps in the positions of Western countries toward intervention in Libya, it will be difficult to break the current deadlock with heightened military intervention.
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International mediation?
It might be possible to end the civil war through international mediation. Yet this too would be difficult to realize under the current situation, in which military intervention aimed at humanitarian assistance is on the wane and more and more assistance is being rendered to one side in the civil war.
There is also the question of how the Libyan situation will be influenced by the latest request from the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, seeking an arrest warrant for Gaddafi on suspicion of crimes against humanity.
There is fear that Gaddafi may dig in his defenses, believing his ability to back down has been cut off by the call for an inquest.
The prolonged civil strife in Libya will also discourage calls for democracy now spreading among Arab nations. The administration of Syrian President Bashar Assad is continuing its crackdown on antigovernment demonstrators, and Assad likely believes the United States, Britain and France, already stalemated by their military intervention in Libya, cannot afford to intervene in his nation.
Western countries must urgently rethink their strategy on Libya.
Revitalize tourism industry by promoting 'safe Japan' to world
The nation's tourism industry has been hard hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co.
Although the mood of excessive self-restraint has been easing, quite a few people still refrain from traveling, and the number of foreign tourists has decreased sharply.
Leaving the situation as it is would threaten the growth strategy of revitalizing the economy by promoting tourism.
To recover Japan's image and attract foreign tourists back to the country, the government and the private sector need to join hands to revitalize tourism.
This year's Golden Week, a 10-day holiday period for many people, was dubbed a "cheap, near and short" type. People flocked to sightseeing spots that were near their homes.
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Fewer visitors at tourism spots
In the Tokyo metropolitan area, such places as Hakonemachi, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, attracted relatively many visitors. However, many sightseeing spots, including those in the Tohoku region, generally failed to see their previous numbers of visitors.
In Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, known as one of Japan's three most scenic spots, Matsushimamachi relaunched its sightseeing cruises in Matsushima Bay during the Golden Week period. However, the number of visitors was around one-fourth of that in the same period of a regular year.
East Japan Railway Co., whose business area covers the Tohoku and Kanto regions, saw a 30-percent decline in its business from the same period a year before.
Especially serious is the low number of foreign tourists. The number of visitors from abroad in March was about 350,000, a 50 percent reduction from a year before. Group tours, international conferences and various events were canceled one after another.
Responses by TEPCO and the government to the nuclear crisis in Fukushima Prefecture caused a still-lingering distrust in foreign countries toward Japan.
To begin with, it is important for the country to give accurate information to the world about the current status of the crisis and steps toward stabilizing the situation. After doing this, the government must show the world that the nation's sightseeing spots are safe.
A tourism ministers' meeting of Japan, China and South Korea to be held in late May will be a good chance to publicize Japan's tourism spots as safe destinations.
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Promote Japan abroad
The effects of information circulated by word of mouth cannot be ignored when travelers decide on destinations. Therefore, it is also necessary for Japan to ask overseas media and travel bloggers to publicize attractive Japanese sightseeing spots.
To dispel the rumor that "Everywhere in Japan is scary due to radiation," it may help if we Japanese ourselves show the world that we enjoy sightseeing at home.
Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways will offer major discounts in their airfares for the first time in the Bon season in August, a busy season. Travel companies are advertising plans for long-stay type tours targeting customers of companies that have decided or will decide to set longer-than-usual summer holiday periods to cope with an expected power shortage. We hope companies in the tourism industry will rack their brains to come up with plans and set prices attractive to many tourists.
The three major Tohoku summer festivals--Nebuta Matsuri in Aomori, Kanto Matsuri in Akita and Tanabata Matsuri in Sendai--will be held in early August. And Hiraizumicho, Iwate Prefecture, known for the Konjikido golden pavilion of Chusonji temple, will most likely be registered as a World Heritage Site.
The charms of the Tohoku region will grow in the coming months. Let us help the region's restoration efforts by revitalizing tourism.
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