KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has called on Japan to review its travel ban on islands off Semporna, says state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew (pic).
She said the request was made during a courtesy call by Japanese Ambassador Shikata Noriyuki earlier last week.
In a statement, Liew said she had invited the ambassador to visit the islands to assess the security situation.
"I told him that overall, Sabah is a safe destination and that the kidnapping incident at Sipadan Island occurred more than 20 years ago, whereas the other incidents on the east coast areas have also stopped," she said.
She also informed him that the other foreign ambassadors, who attended the Home Minister's briefing and security survey of the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESsszone) last year, were impressed by the measures implemented by the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom).
The travel ban was imposed following a series of tourist kidnappings from Sabah islands.
In December last year, Japan eased the travel advisory, allowing its citizens to visit Tawau, Sandakan and Lahad Datu.
Liew revealed that Noriyuki described their recent meeting as a special one and that he had gained insights into Sabah's tourism policies.
The ambassador also expressed his hope for more travel and educational exchanges between Sabahans and Japanese, she said.
The statement said both Liew and Noriyuki believed that these could be achieved by reinstating air connections between Kota Kinabalu and Tokyo, as well as Kota Kinabalu and Narita.
They welcomed the revival of flight between Kota Kinabalu and Haneda on Feb 24, after a long lapse.
