The number of foreign visitors to Japan this year exceeded 25 million at the fastest pace on record and reached 28,383,600 by the end of August, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) said.
The January-August figure represents a year-on-year increase of 18.2 percent, the JNTO said Sept. 17.
Since February last year, tourist numbers have continued to reset monthly records.
In August this year, 3,428,000 foreign tourists visited Japan, a 16.9-percent increase year on year. It was the first time the number topped 3 million in August.
Of the total last month, 1,018,600 tourists came from China, up 36.5 percent year on year, followed by 660,900 from South Korea, up 8.0 percent, and 620,700 from Taiwan, up 10.0 percent.
Many of the tourists from China were reportedly young people in their 20s to 40s or families.
“We will take measures to encourage repeat visitors and wealthy travelers to visit Japan, as well as attracting tourists to regional areas,” Shigeki Murata, commissioner at the Japan Tourism Agency, said.
AloJapan.com