Foreign visitors to Japan hit record-high in August

The number of foreign visitors to Japan surged 22.4 percent in August from a year earlier, chiefly due to the effect of tourism promotion, increased international flights and more arrivals of large cruise ships, the government said on Wednesday. An estimated 1.11 million foreigners arrived in Japan last month on sightseeing or business, a record high for the month of August, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. Among the countries, the number of Chinese travelers jumped 56.5 percent to 253,900, and those from South Korea posted a 16.7 percent year-on-year rise to 251,400, the tourism bureau said. The number of travelers from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, India, the US, Canada, France and Germany hit record highs for the month of August. Last year, Japan received 10.4 million foreign travelers, achieving the government target of annual 10 million for the first time, thanks to a weaker yen and the effect of easier visa requirements for Southeast Asian tourists. The government aims to double the number of international visitors to 20 million by the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and then triple it by 2030 to boost Japan's economy.