Hokkaido Airports CEO working to 'open Hokkaido to the world'

Hokkaido Airports CEO Masaki Yamazaki, speaking at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Asia, stated (01-Oct-2026) Hokkaido is consistently one of Japan's top domestic tourist destinations and is "becoming the world's new frontier" for international tourism, business and investment. Mr Yamazaki said there is a "significant shift" underway to increasingly connect Hokkaido with markets such as Australia, New Zealand and North America, creating opportunities to "open Hokkaido to the world". He said Hokkaido Airports aims to be a "strategic partner for growth" with airlines, tourism organisations and other stakeholders to meet Hokkaido's "tremendous untouched potential".