historical charm.

Higashi Chaya district in Kanazawa

Tourism remains a vital part of the Japanese economy. Last year, Japan saw its highest figure ever of foreign visitors: 13.4 million people – 29.4% up from 2013 – according to Japan Today. Due to the Hokuriku Shinkansen, the impending Olympics, as well as the weakening Yen, the tourism industry and local governments are anticipating a significant increase in tourism to the Hokuriku region. The Japan Times explains that the estimated passenger volume is about 23,000 people per day between Tokyo and Kanazawa. JTB Corp., the largest travel agency in Japan, said the number of people visiting the Hokuriku region has already soared five-fold between April and June, boosted especially by a renewed focus on the region.

In order to better cater to foreignunity and integrity of Mali,” he added.

Facing a potentially violent ousting, Malian Islamist group Ansar Dine, one of those occupying key northern cities such as Timbuktu, last week called for dialogue with Bamako, saying it rejected all forms of “extremism and terrorism”.

Ansar Dine and the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) have imposed a brutal form of sharia Islamic law, stoning unmarried couples, amputating thieves' hands and whipping drinkers and smokers.

Their ties with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), long present in Mali's north, have triggered fears in the region and the West that the zone could become a haven for radicals.

In an interview with the weekend edition of Algeria's El-Watan daily, an Ansar Dine spokesperson described AQIM as “made up of Islamists, like us”,