The Japanese government should offer free passports to 18-year-olds who have legally become adults to motivate more young people to travel abroad, the head of a travel industry group said in a recent interview with Kyodo News. Citing that just around 17 percent of Japanese citizens had a passport as of 2023, Hiroyuki Takahashi, chairman of the Japan Association of Travel Agents, expressed concern that “opportunities for youth to travel abroad have been greatly reduced.” “This is problematic when we think about the development of people with a global mindset,” said Takahashi, who also serves as…