More than 250 Japanese tourists and investors arrived in Sri Lanka on Sunday on a single flight, in what Ada Derana described as a first-of-its-kind visit aimed at renewing the long-standing relationship between the two countries.
The group landed at Bandaranaike International Airport at about 4.30 p.m. aboard SriLankan Airlines flight UL 455 from Narita.
Deputy Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation Janith Ruwan Kodithuwakku, Ministry Secretary W.W.S. Mangala and Civil Aviation Authority Director General Captain Daminda Rambukwella were among those who received the visitors at the airport.
The delegation is scheduled to depart on 4 September 2026, giving it five days in the country.
Two counts of the same flight
The Daily Mirror reported the same movement from the departure end on Sunday, describing “a group of 200 Japanese tourists” leaving for Sri Lanka on a single SriLankan Airlines flight and calling it a significant boost to tourism ties between the two countries.
The 50-passenger gap between the two accounts is not explained by either report. Ada Derana’s larger figure covers “tourists and investors” together, while the Daily Mirror counted tourists only, which would account for at least part of the difference. Neither outlet published a breakdown of how many in the group were travelling as investors, nor named the companies or sectors involved.
Context
The visit pairs leisure travel with an investment-scouting element, and the presence of the civil aviation leadership at the arrival gate points to the route itself being part of the interest — SriLankan Airlines has operated the Colombo–Narita link as one of its longest-haul services. No outlet reported whether the government offered the group any specific investment proposals, or whether further such flights are planned.
