BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday said the Libyan coast guard should be supported in its efforts to stem the flow of migrants to Europe, but warned that rights abuses would not be tolerated.
A day before a Paris summit on the migrant crisis, Merkel said the Libyan coast guard had to become capable of patrolling its waters and should be given “the necessary equipment to do its job.”
“At the same time, of course we also consider it of the utmost importance that the Libyan coast guard adheres to international law, both in its dealings with refugees and migrants as well as non-governmental groups,” she told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
“Should any doubts be raised about this, then we will investigate the allegations,” she vowed.
The Libyan government sparked controversy this month when it barred foreign vessels from a stretch of water off its coast, claiming that charity boats active in the search and rescue zone were facilitating illegal migration.
The move was welcomed by Italy, the main port of arrival for migrants from north Africa, but several NGOs have since suspended their sea missions, accusing the Libyan coast guard of making threats and creating a hostile environment in the Mediterranean.
So far this year more than 100,000 people have made the perilous journey from Libya, according to the International Organization for Migration, and the European Union is eager for Libya to clamp down on the influx.
Over 2,300 have died attempting the crossing.
“We cannot allow the business of people smugglers who have the deaths of so many on their conscience,” said Merkel.
French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting talks on the crisis at the Elysee Palace on Monday, with Merkel and her Spanish and Italian counterparts in attendance.
Libya’s unity government chief Fayez Al-Sarraj and the leaders of Chad and Niger will also attend the gathering.
Merkel, who is campaigning for a fourth term in next month’s general election, told Die Welt am Sonntag that she had no regrets about her bold move to open Germany’s borders to refugees in 2015.
“I would make all the important decisions of 2015 again in the same way,” she said.
The arrival of hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers, mainly from Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, deeply divided Germany and hurt Merkel’s approval ratings.
But as the influx has slowed in recent months, Merkel’s popularity has rebounded and her conservatives are comfortably leading in the polls ahead of the September 24 vote.
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Merkel backs Libyan coast guard but warns against abuses
Merkel backs Libyan coast guard but warns against abuses
Tourists hit record in Japan, despite plunge from China
TOKYO: A record number of tourists flocked to Japan in 2025, officials said Tuesday, despite a steep fall in Chinese visitors in December as a diplomatic row between Beijing and Tokyo rumbled on.
Japan logged 42.7 million arrivals last year, according to the transport ministry, topping 2024’s record of nearly 37 million as the weak yen boosted the appeal of the “bucket list” destination.
However, the number of tourists from China last month dropped about 45 percent from a year earlier to around 330,000.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion in November that Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attack on Taiwan triggered a sharp diplomatic backlash from China, which urged its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan.
Tuesday’s announcement showed the warning has had an impact on visitor numbers.
China has been the biggest source of tourists to the Japanese archipelago, with almost 7.5 million visitors in the first nine months of 2025 — a quarter of all foreign tourists, according to official figures.
Attracted by a weak yen, Chinese tourists splashed out the equivalent of $3.7 billion in the third quarter.
However, Transport Minister Yasushi Kaneko said it was a “significant achievement” that overall visitors numbers had topped 40 million people for the first time.
“While the number of Chinese tourists in December decreased, we attracted a sufficient number of people from many other countries and regions to offset that,” he said, adding that there had been a “steep” increase in tourists from Europe, the United States and Australia.
“We also hope and want to make sure that Chinese visitors will return to us as soon as possible.”
The overall increase is partly due to government policies to promote attractions from Mount Fuji’s majestic slopes to shrines and sushi bars in more far-flung parts of the archipelago.
The government has set an ambitious target of reaching 60 million tourists annually by 2030.
- Overtourism -
However Japan’s biggest travel agency JTB forecasted that overall tourist numbers this year would be “slightly lower” compared to 2025 due to a decrease in demand from China and Hong Kong.
Nevertheless tourism income was expected to increase due to rising prices of items such as lodging and strong spending among visitors.
It added that due to an uptick in repeat visitors to Japan, the places people want to visit are shifting from large cities to rural areas.
Authorities say they want to spread sightseers more evenly around the country, as complaints of overcrowding in hotspots like Kyoto grow.
As in other global tourist magnets like Venice in Italy, there has been growing pushback from residents in the ancient capital.
The tradition-steeped city, just a couple of hours from Tokyo on the bullet train, is famed for its kimono-clad geisha performers and increasingly crowded Buddhist temples.
Locals have complained of disrespectful tourists harassing the geisha in a frenzy for photos, as well as causing traffic congestion and littering.
Elsewhere, exasperated officials have taken steps to improve visitors, including introducing an entry fee and a daily cap on the number of hikers climbing Mount Fuji.
A barrier was briefly erected outside a convenience store in 2024 to stop people standing in the road to photograph a view of the snow-capped volcano that had gone viral.
Japan logged 42.7 million arrivals last year, according to the transport ministry, topping 2024’s record of nearly 37 million as the weak yen boosted the appeal of the “bucket list” destination.
However, the number of tourists from China last month dropped about 45 percent from a year earlier to around 330,000.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion in November that Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attack on Taiwan triggered a sharp diplomatic backlash from China, which urged its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan.
Tuesday’s announcement showed the warning has had an impact on visitor numbers.
China has been the biggest source of tourists to the Japanese archipelago, with almost 7.5 million visitors in the first nine months of 2025 — a quarter of all foreign tourists, according to official figures.
Attracted by a weak yen, Chinese tourists splashed out the equivalent of $3.7 billion in the third quarter.
However, Transport Minister Yasushi Kaneko said it was a “significant achievement” that overall visitors numbers had topped 40 million people for the first time.
“While the number of Chinese tourists in December decreased, we attracted a sufficient number of people from many other countries and regions to offset that,” he said, adding that there had been a “steep” increase in tourists from Europe, the United States and Australia.
“We also hope and want to make sure that Chinese visitors will return to us as soon as possible.”
The overall increase is partly due to government policies to promote attractions from Mount Fuji’s majestic slopes to shrines and sushi bars in more far-flung parts of the archipelago.
The government has set an ambitious target of reaching 60 million tourists annually by 2030.
- Overtourism -
However Japan’s biggest travel agency JTB forecasted that overall tourist numbers this year would be “slightly lower” compared to 2025 due to a decrease in demand from China and Hong Kong.
Nevertheless tourism income was expected to increase due to rising prices of items such as lodging and strong spending among visitors.
It added that due to an uptick in repeat visitors to Japan, the places people want to visit are shifting from large cities to rural areas.
Authorities say they want to spread sightseers more evenly around the country, as complaints of overcrowding in hotspots like Kyoto grow.
As in other global tourist magnets like Venice in Italy, there has been growing pushback from residents in the ancient capital.
The tradition-steeped city, just a couple of hours from Tokyo on the bullet train, is famed for its kimono-clad geisha performers and increasingly crowded Buddhist temples.
Locals have complained of disrespectful tourists harassing the geisha in a frenzy for photos, as well as causing traffic congestion and littering.
Elsewhere, exasperated officials have taken steps to improve visitors, including introducing an entry fee and a daily cap on the number of hikers climbing Mount Fuji.
A barrier was briefly erected outside a convenience store in 2024 to stop people standing in the road to photograph a view of the snow-capped volcano that had gone viral.
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