10 million visitors arrive in Japan, while 15 million Japanese tourists leave every year

Japan said visitors are set to top reach the government target of 10 million tourists to Japan this year for the first time as a weaker yen lowers costs for travelers from abroad.

Japan said visitors are set to top reach the government target of 10 million tourists to Japan this year for the first time as a weaker yen lowers costs for travelers from abroad.

The nation will probably welcome its 10 millionth visitor of the year in the middle of this month of January.

In November, the estimated number of foreign visitors increased 29.5 percent from a year before to 839,800, bringing the 11-month tally from January to 9,499,300, up 23.9 percent from the same period last year, the JNTO said.

Japan will hit the 10 million mark this year if the pace of growth continues, Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Shigeto Kubo said, adding that the visitor total has remained higher than the year-before level so far this month.

The yenโ€™s weakness has made staying in Japan less costly for foreigners, and low-cost carriers and other airlines have expanded their passenger flight services between Japan and other countries, JNTO officials said.

Another positive factor was an easing of visa requirements for visitors from Southeast Asia, such as short-term visa exemptions for Malaysian and Thai visitors from July, according to the officials.

The 11-month result already surpasses the annual record of 8.61 million, set in 2010.

By region, visitors from South Korea were largest in number, totaling 2,273,300 during the 11 months, up 23.4 percent from a year before.

The result indicates South Koreans may have grown less anxious about leaks of radioactive water from Tokyo Electric Power Co.โ€™s disaster-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station, the tourism agencyโ€™s Kubo said.

Taiwan came second with 2,061,400 visitors, up 52.2 percent. The number of visitors from China decreased 11.3 percent to 1,217,900, still the third-biggest total, amid elevated tensions over the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands.

The number of visitors from Thailand soared 69.1 percent to 397,600, compared with 151,100 from Singapore, up 31.7 percent. Malaysian visitors increased 31.1 percent to 148,100.

Chinese visitors to Japan increased 96 percent from a year earlier to 101,900 last month, even as Chinaโ€™s announcement of an air-defense zone over islands in East China Sea ratcheted up tensions between the two nations. Japan is aiming to more than double the number of visitors by 2020 to boost the economy as a shrinking population damps demand for domestic travel.

Japan โ€œhas realized the importance of tourism,โ€ said Mitsushige Akino, who oversees the equivalent of about $500 million in assets in Tokyo at Ichiyoshi Investment Management Co. โ€œThe weaker yen has helped boost visitors and the country has also benefited from a concerted effort by the government to promote itself abroad.โ€

The yen has weakened about 20 percent versus the dollar in the past 12 months.

Disputed Islands

โ€œThe correction of the strong yen makes Japanese goods comparatively cheap,โ€ said Kubo. โ€œEasing of visa restrictions has also had a big impact.โ€

Japanโ€™s banks also plan to improve access for travelers by installing automated teller machines that accept credit cards issued overseas, the Tourism Agency said in a statement.

Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd., Mizuho Bank Ltd. and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. agreed to increase the number of ATMs as Japan prepares to host the Summer Olympics in 2020, according to the statement. A total of 16 percent of visitors to Japan said they were unhappy with credit card use and currency exchange, according to a survey of 901 people in 2011 cited by the Agency.

Visitors from China, the worldโ€™s second-largest economy, plummeted last year after Japan purchased some of the disputed islands from a private citizen, triggering protests and a boycott of Japanese goods. Kubo today said there was no evidence that the number of Chinese tourists declined after China announced the zone on Nov. 23.

Japan is aiming to boost the number of visitors to 25 million by 2020, according to a plan released last year. The nationโ€™s population is forecast to decline 25 percent from 2005 to 95.2 million by 2050 as fewer children are born, according to the government.

The number of people visiting Japan is still behind those going abroad. About 14.6 million Japanese traveled overseas in the 10 months to October, according to JNTO.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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