The Number of Foreign Visitors to Japan Reaches All-time High in 2017​

According to the record, the number of foreigners visiting Japan in 2017 was 28,691,000, which was a 19.3% increase from the previous year. The number is the highest record ever achieved since 1964 when the related statistics began to be compiled by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO).

It appears that a wide variety of factors including an increase in flight routes and cruise ships, visa simplification and deregulation, and continuous tourism promotion campaigns contributed to the sharp rise in foreign tourist arrivals.  

The number of visitors from every country among top 20 countries with the most outbound travels to Japan reached its all-time high. The number of visitors from Korea (7,140,000) and China (7,356,000), in particular, surpassed the 7 million mark for the first time, while four Southeast Asian countries including Taiwan and Hong Kong recorded 21,292,000 visitors to Japan in total, which was a 21.9% increase from the previous year. The number of tourists from these four countries accounted for more than 70% of the total foreign visitors to Japan.

The number of tourists from Russia also recorded a 40.8% increase under the influence of the visa simplification and deregulation in early 2017.