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Japanese Tourism Languishing

``Katsumi Aiba, general manger for Japan Travel Bureau in Los Angeles, said Tuesday many Japanese are still reluctant to visit the United States because of last year's terrorist attacks and troubles with their nation's economy. As a result, he said the travel bureau's U.S. business has been off by about 50 percent this year.

``...`Northwest Airlines stopped flying to Las Vegas directly (in March 2001) and JAL (Japan Airlines) still does not have daily flights to Las Vegas,' Aiba said. `Because of that, I don't think (Japanese) travel to Las Vegas is getting any better.'

``...Much of the recent decline stems from JAL's decision to temporarily suspend its Las Vegas service shortly after Sept. 11. The carrier resumed service to the market with three weekly flights beginning March 1, a total that has since increased to five flights per week.

``...JAL, Japan's No. 1 air carrier, said Monday the number of passengers it flew to the continental United States and Hawaii between late July and early August fell by 18 percent compared with the same period last year.

``Meanwhile, No. 2 carrier All Nippon Airways, which does not offer direct flights between Japan and Las Vegas, said its flights to and from Japan and the United States had about 20 percent fewer passengers than last year's peak summer holiday travel season..."

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