By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-10-11 08:16:51 | Updated at 2026-10-11 09:34:20
1 hour ago
TOKYO – Major Japanese shipping and entertainment companies are launching new cruise ships with shorter, lower-cost itineraries, aiming to attract a younger range of travellers beyond the affluent senior demographic.
Although costs vary by travel season and ship class, cruises are widely viewed as a luxury pastime for retirees. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism aims to raise the number of Japanese cruise travellers to 1 million by 2030.
“More ships will create new demand. The entire market is beginning to enter a virtuous cycle,” MOL Cruises president Tsunemichi Mukai said aboard the new Mitsui Ocean Sakura as it was unveiled in Yokohama on Sept 16.
The company’s other cruise ship, the Mitsui Ocean Fuji, was launched in Dec 2024 and registered in the Bahamas. While foreign registration offers tax advantages, regulations require ships to call at a foreign port even on Japan-based routes, leading to longer itineraries.
The Mitsui Ocean Sakura, however, is free of such regulations as it is Japanese-flagged, allowing it to offer domestic-focused trips spanning one to three nights.
According to the Cruise Lines International Association, about 37 million people took cruises worldwide in 2025. The majority were travellers from Europe and the United States, while those from Japan accounted for less than 1% of the total at 240,000.
A survey by the Japanese ministry found that 58 percent of respondents with no cruise experience cited high prices as the reason, followed by 24 percent who said they could not take extended vacations.
In July 2025, NYK Cruises, part of the Nippon Yusen K.K. group, launched its first newly built passenger ship in 34 years – the Asuka III – to a favourable reception.
Oriental Land, operator of Tokyo Disneyland, is expected to provide a major boost to the industry with the launch of its Disney cruise service in Japan in fiscal 2028.
The company plans to offer two- to four-night trips from ports in the Tokyo metropolitan area, featuring shows with Mickey Mouse and other popular characters on board. Standard fares are expected to be set at around 100,000 yen (S$81) to 300,000 yen per person.
Cruise ships, often called “floating hotels”, can bring thousands of tourists to areas with poor land transport links or limited accommodations.
“If a culture of travelling around Japan by ship takes root, it will also contribute to regional revitalisation,” said Masashi Onozuka, a senior partner at management consultancy Roland Berger. KYODO NEWS
