Visitors to Japan hit record 28.69m in 2017

January 12, 2018

Tokyo- The number of visitors to Japan in 2017 increased 19.3 percent from the previous year to about 28.69 million, setting a record high for the fifth straight year, Japanese tourism minister Keiichi Ishii said Friday.

The Japanese government has set a goal of boosting the annual number of visitors from abroad to 40 million in 2020, when the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games are scheduled to be held.

At a news conference, Ishii expressed his eagerness to achieve the goal. The government hopes to stimulate demand for travel to Japan in Europe, the United States and Australia, in addition to the rest of Asia, he said. Jiji Press