TOKYO: Visitors to Japan totaled an estimated 33,379,900 in January-November, already exceeding the current annual record high of 31.88 million, marked in 2019, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday.

The surge was backed by the yen’s historic weakness and more frequent flights.

Besides visitors from other parts of Asia, including South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong, those from the United States and Europe increased markedly.

“If things go well, the 2024 total will surpass 35 million,” Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Naoya Haraikawa told a press conference the same day.

In November alone, the estimated number of foreign visitors grew 30.6 percent from a year earlier to 3,187,000, topping the 3 million threshold for the second straight month. It was also 30.5 percent higher than the pre-COVID crisis level five years earlier.

Domestic and direct international flights increased amid the autumn foliage season.

By country or region, South Korea topped the visitor list for the month, at 749,500, up 15.3 percent. China ranked second at 546,300, showing a 2.1-fold rise year on year and a 70 percent recovery from the crisis, followed by Taiwan, the United States and Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, the number of Japanese nationals who went abroad in November came to 1.17 million, up 14.4 percent from the same month last year but down 28.4 percent from five years before.

JIJI Press