The Cabinet adopted a bill Tuesday to create a new tourist agency under the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry to help increase the growing number of foreign tourists to Japan, particularly those from Asia.

The agency will be launched in October with 103 officials by unifying six sections of the ministry. The formal English name of the organ has not been decided yet.

The launch is in line with the government goal of enticing more foreign tourists to Japan, which posted a 13.8 percent surge in 2007 to a record 8.34 million visitors. About 70 percent of them are from Asia.

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