The government plans to allow all local governments to train guide-interpreters for paid local services for foreign travelers under a deregulation initiative to help increase the number of foreign visitors to Japan, government sources said Friday.

The central government now licenses professional guide-interpreters through qualification tests, while only nine local governments are specially permitted to train guide-interpreters for local services.

Of some 17,000 existing licensed guide-interpreters, however, only a quarter provide relevant services primarily in large cities, leading to professional guide-interpreter shortages in rural regions, says the Japan Tourism Agency.

The deregulation initiative will encourage all local governments in Japan to train professional guide-interpreters for local services under their respective standards, irrespective of the national qualification tests. More.

See: GlobalPost

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