1.49 Million Foreign Visitors to Japan... 1 in 3 is Korean

Japan National Tourism Organization January Foreign Visitor Statistics
Total 1,497,000, Koreans 565,000

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Among the three foreigners who visited Japan last month, one was Korean.

The pathway leading to Sensoji, a Buddhist temple in Asakusa, a famous tourist destination in Tokyo, Japan, is bustling with tourists coming and going.
[Photo by AP] [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization's announcement on the 15th, the number of foreigners who visited Japan in January was 1,497,000, which is a 44.3% decrease compared to January 2019, the year before the COVID-19 outbreak.

Among the foreign visitors to Japan in January, Koreans ranked first with 565,000 visitors. This accounts for 37.7% of all foreign visitors.

Regarding the trend of Korean tourists, the Japan National Tourism Organization analyzed that "the easing of Japan's COVID-19 restrictions, travel product campaigns by the Korean travel industry, and the influence of the Lunar New Year holiday contributed to this."

Earlier, the Japanese government gradually reopened its borders after allowing group tours for foreigners in June last year. On October 11, it resumed visa exemption measures for 68 countries and regions, including Korea, where they had been suspended due to the spread of COVID-19, and actively began attracting foreign tourists.

The statistics of foreign visitors to Japan showed Taiwan (259,000), Hong Kong (151,000), the United States (88,000), and Thailand (63,000) following Korea.

Meanwhile, the number of Chinese tourists, for whom travel restrictions to Japan are still in effect, was limited to 31,000.