Record 13.34m foreigners enter Japan in 1st half

October 13, 2017

TOKYO- The number of foreigners who entered Japan in the first half of 2017 jumped 16.4 percent from a year earlier to 13.34 million, the highest level ever on a half-year basis, the Justice Ministry said Thursday.

The result is partly attributed to new Japan-connected airline routes, mainly opened by low-cost carriers, and a loosening of visa requirements for people from Southeast Asian and other countries.

Of the total visitors, 3.52 million came from South Korea, 2.67 million from China, 2.19 million from Taiwan, 1.04 million from Hong Kong and 710,000 from the United States.

The number of Russian visitors shot up 37.9 percent to 38,000, as Japan relaxed the visa requirements for them in January. Jiji Press