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Foreign visitors to Japan breached 20m mark last year

TOKYO — The number of foreign tourists to Japan reached a record high of 24.04 million in 2016, up 22 per cent from the previous year and topping 20 million for the first time, the country’s tourism minister said this week.

Tourists at Kinkakuji Temple in Kyoto. The government plans to improve access to cultural attractions, among other measures, to draw 40 million tourists to Japan in 2020, when it hosts the Olympics. Photo: Kyodo

Tourists at Kinkakuji Temple in Kyoto. The government plans to improve access to cultural attractions, among other measures, to draw 40 million tourists to Japan in 2020, when it hosts the Olympics. Photo: Kyodo

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TOKYO — The number of foreign tourists to Japan reached a record high of 24.04 million in 2016, up 22 per cent from the previous year and topping 20 million for the first time, the country’s tourism minister said this week.

The pace of increase, however, was slower than 47 per cent in 2015, amid a strong yen, China’s economic slowdown and earthquakes that hit Kumamoto Prefecture in April.

“Though the pace was slow, it continued to grow firmly. We hope to maintain this momentum by applying various measures,” Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Keiichi Ishii told a press conference.

Mr Ishii will submit a Bill in the next ordinary Diet session, to be convened on Jan s20, to promote the “minpaku” system of offering paid accommodation in private homes to offset a shortage in the number of hotels and inns.

In a bid to attract 40 million tourists in 2020, when Japan hosts the Olympics and the Paralympics, the government is planning to upgrade airports and seaports, as well as improve access to national parks and cultural attractions.

“Easing requirements for visa issuance and expansion of tax exemption have helped the figure to rise,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.

The government also attributed the increase to a rise in services by airlines and cruise ships. Tourist numbers from South Korea and China posted a solid increase, while visitors from South-east Asia also rose. KYODO

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