Last Year, Record High Number of Japanese Tourists... 8.82 Million Koreans Ranked No. 1

Impact of Weak Yen and Tourist Inflow Policies
Spending Reaches 75.7 Trillion Won... Up 53.4% from Previous Year

The number of foreign visitors to Japan last year reached an all-time high. Among them, Korean tourists accounted for the largest share with 8.82 million visitors.

Yonhap News

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) on the 15th, the number of foreign visitors to Japan last year was 36.87 million, an increase of 47.1% compared to the previous year. This figure is about 5 million more than the previous record of 31.88 million in 2019. The increase in tourists is attributed to the Japanese government's active policies to attract tourists, such as increasing flights, combined with the weak yen.

By country (region), the number of foreign visitors to Japan was highest among Koreans, who increased by 26.7% from the previous year to 8.82 million. This was followed by China (6.98 million), Taiwan (6.04 million), the United States (2.72 million), and Hong Kong (2.68 million). For a while, Chinese visitors were the largest group of foreigners visiting Japan, but after travel restrictions due to COVID-19 in 2021, Koreans have accounted for the highest proportion since 2022.

The upward trend in the number of tourists has continued recently. In December last year, the number of foreign visitors to Japan was 3.49 million, an increase of 27.6% compared to one year earlier.

As the number of visitors increased, spending also grew significantly. The consumption amount (preliminary figure) by foreign visitors to Japan last year on accommodation, shopping, and other expenses was 8.1395 trillion yen (approximately 75.7 trillion won). This is a 53.4% increase compared to the previous highest figure recorded one year earlier.