KOTA KINABALU, Dec 27 — The Sabah government welcomes the Japan Government’s revision of the travel advisory barring its citizens from visiting Sabah’s east coast, says Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Seri Christina Liew.

While describing the move as a positive development, she said it is only a partial lifting of the ban whereby Japanese nationals are now allowed to visit Tawau, Sandakan and Lahad Datu, if necessary, but that they are still not allowed to travel to the islands off Semporna.

"I was made to understand that the revision was made a couple of days ago. The Consul-General of Japan in Kota Kinabalu (Yamashita Yoshito) has confirmed that it is not a complete lifting of the travel advisory,” Liew said in a statement today.

It is understood that the advisory is posted in the Japanese language only on Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website.

The minister expressed the hope that the travel advisory can be completely lifted in the near future.

In 2019, Liew had visited Japan and requested the government to consider lifting the advisory which was issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship Min Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe also welcomes Japan’s decision to lower the danger level of its travel advisory for East Coast of Sabah to level two.

This move, he said, signals growing confidence in Sabah’s safety and security measures and will positively impact trade and investment opportunities.

The main reason for the partial lifting is the crime rate has reduced significantly in Sabah.

Phoong shared that he had the privilege of discussing this matter extensively with the former Ambassador of Japan to Malaysia, Takahashi Katsuhiko, during several meetings. He also brought this up when the ambassador visited Kota Kinabalu last February.

Phoong also raised this issue during his official visit to Tokyo in November 2023, where he engaged with Japanese businesses eager to explore investment opportunities in Sabah, particularly in the palm oil and biomass sectors.

"Many Japanese companies like Kantech had expressed strong interest in Sabah’s immense economic potential but were hindered by the travel advisory restrictions. This reduction in the danger level will undoubtedly serve as a catalyst to unlock these opportunities, encouraging more Japanese companies to establish partnerships and invest in Sabah’s industries,” said Phoong in a statement.

Phoong stated that Sabah’s strategic location, coupled with its commitment to sustainable industrialization, offers vast potential for collaboration in renewable energy, green technology and other industries.

"With this positive development, I am confident that we can further strengthen bilateral relations between Malaysia and Japan, fostering greater economic growth and people-to-people connections,” he said.

Phoong reiterated the Sabah Government will continue working closely with Japan and other international partners to ensure a conducive, investor-friendly environment in the state.

He looks forward to welcoming Japanese businesses and investors to Sabah and to jointly realizing Sabah’s shared vision of sustainable economic progress. — The Borneo Post