(Update) Visitors to Japan Already Top Annual Record High in Jan.-Nov.

   Tokyo, Dec. 18 (Jiji Press)--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 pct from a year earlier to 3,187,000, topping the 3 million threshold for the second straight month. It was also 30.5 pct higher than the pre-COVID crisis level five years earlier.

(2024/12/18-21:15)