Visitors to Japan soar 46% to over 20m

The estimated number of visitors to Japan in fiscal 2015, which ended on March 31, jumped 45.6 percent from the previous year to 21,359,000, topping the 20-million mark for the first time ever, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday.

The milestone was achieved on the back of an increase in the number of flights to and from other parts of Asia, mainly those operated by low-cost carriers, the yen’s depreciation against other currencies, and the easing of visa requirements for citizens of some countries.

In March, the number of foreign visitors surged 31.7 percent from a year earlier to 2,009,500, exceeding two million for the first time for any month, the JNTO said. The figure far outpaced the previous monthly record of about 1.92 million, set in July last year.

By place of origin, the number of visitors in March from Hong Kong, the Philippines, the United States, Canada, Britain and Germany each hit a record monthly high.

The brisk March result can be attributed mainly to the growing popularity among foreign tourists of cherry blossom viewing in Japan, the JNTO said.

Foreigners' travel-related spending in the January-March period expanded 32% from a year earlier to 930.5 billion yen ($8.5 billion), according to the tourism agency. Spending by the Chinese made up more than 40% of the figure, at 390.1 billion yen.

The Japanese government is aiming to boost the annual arrival of foreign visitors to 40 million in 2020 when Tokyo will host the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.