Foreign visitors to Japan hit record for March of 3.5 mil.
The number of foreign visitors to Japan in March rose 13.5 percent from a year earlier to a record 3.5 million for the month, official data showed Wednesday, underscoring that the tourism boom in the Asian nation remains robust, Kyodo reports.
Foreign traveler spending totaled 2.3 trillion yen ($16.0 billion) in the three months from January, up 28.4 percent from the same period last year, driven by higher expenditures on food and accommodation, preliminary figures from the Japan Tourism Agency showed.
By country and region, South Korea led in visitor numbers with 691,700 people, up 4.3 percent, followed by China, which posted a 46.2 percent rise to 661,700, according to the government-affiliated Japan National Tourism Organization.
Cumulative visitor numbers for 2025 reached 10.5 million in the quarter through March, up 23.1 percent, marking the fastest pace on record to surpass 10 million. Travel demand to Japan increased in March with the start of the cherry blossom season, the organization said.
To note, around 119,000 people visited the World Exposition in Osaka on its opening day Sunday, the organizer said, with long lines forming in the rain at pavilions admitting only a limited number of guests without reservations.