AKP Phnom Penh, July 10, 2026 -- Outgoing Japanese Ambassador to Cambodia, H.E. Ueno Atsushi, pledged Thursday to promote Cambodia’s tourism potential to the Japanese public based on his firsthand travels across all Cambodian provinces and proposed exploring visa exemption measures for Japanese tourists.

The reaffirmation came during a bilateral meeting in Phnom Penh between H.E. Ueno Atsushi and H.E. Huot Hak, Minister of Tourism.

H.E. Ueno expressed deep appreciation to the Royal Government of Cambodia and the Ministry of Tourism for their close cooperation during his tenure, and reiterated Japan’s commitment to deepening bilateral ties through human resource development, joint promotions, and cultural exchanges. 

Noting that he has personally visited every province and city in the Kingdom, the Ambassador said he will serve as an active advocate to introduce Cambodia’s diverse attractions to the Japanese people.

H.E. Huot Hak conveyed profound gratitude to the Government and people of Japan for their steadfast support of Cambodia’s national development. 

Underscoring that Cambodia remains a safe, secure and welcoming destination, ready to receive visitors from Japan and around the world, he requested Japan’s continued support to promote Cambodia’s tourism potential, facilitate the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on tourism cooperation, expand direct air connectivity, support tourism human resource development, and organise familiarisation (FAM) trips for Japanese tour operators, media, content creators and investors.

Cambodia and Japan have maintained strong diplomatic relations since 1953, which have developed into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. 

Bilateral tourism cooperation continues to grow under frameworks supported by the ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), with emphasis on sustainable tourism, capacity building and regional marketing.

By Phal Sophanith