The number of foreign visitors to Japan topped 33 million from January to November, setting a new annual record, driven by a tourism boom and a weak yen, government estimates showed Wednesday.
The total stood at 33,379,900, surpassing the previous full-year high of 31.88 million set in 2019, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.
In November alone, foreign visitors rose 30.6 percent year-on-year to 3.18 million. Each month this year has recorded at least 30 percent growth compared with the same period last year.
With airline routes to Japan recovering to 2019 levels, November visitor numbers were further boosted by increased demand during the fall foliage season.
By country and region, 749,500 people from South Korea visited Japan last month, up 15.3 percent from a year earlier, according to the organization's preliminary data.
Those from China more than doubled to 546,300, while Taiwan ranked third with 488,400 visitors, up 21.0 percent, followed by the United States at 247,500, up 34.0 percent.
Annual visitors from five markets -- South Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam and France -- each set new record highs as of November.
Addressing issues related to overtourism, such as traffic congestion and disruptions to local residents' lives, will be essential for the government to achieve its goal of attracting 60 million foreign visitors annually by 2030.
