TOKYO: The number of foreigners who entered Japan came to 31.19 million in 2019, logging a record high for the seventh consecutive year, the Immigration Services Agency said in a preliminary report Friday.

The number grew by 1.09 million from the previous year amid increased demand for travel to Japan mainly among Chinese people.

The agency said the number of new foreign entrants to Japan stood at 28.4 million.

People from China made up the largest share of new foreign entrants, growing 24.7 pct to 7.42 million. They were followed by people from South Korea, at 5.34 million, and those from Taiwan, at 4.52 million.

The number of new entrants from South Korea, which topped the list in 2018, plunged 27.1 pct, apparently due to strained ties between Tokyo and Seoul. The number fell by half in the second half.

The number of Japanese people who traveled overseas rose 5.9 pct to a record high of 20.08 million in 2019.

JIJI Press