Japan could see a record 35 million foreign visitors this year, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday, with their spending in the country expected to grow to an all-time high of about 8 trillion yen ($50 billion) due to a weak yen.
With around 17.78 million people having likely visited Japan from January to June, the highest for the six-month period, Kishida pledged to take steps to deal with "overtourism," which has triggered traffic jams, pollution, hindrances to residents and other problems brought about by the influx of travelers.
The annual total of people visiting Japan from overseas in 2024 is projected to exceed the previous record of 31.88 million registered in 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic, with the government aiming to attract 60 million foreign visitors annually by 2030.
"We will strongly push ahead with expanding inbound tourism and developing sustainable travel areas," Kishida said during a meeting with relevant Cabinet ministers.
From April to June, foreign visitors spent a quarterly record of about 2.1 trillion yen on accommodation and shopping, boosted by the yen's depreciation.
The number of foreign visitors to Japan totaled around 3.14 million in June, up 51.2 percent from a year earlier and marking a new monthly record, according to monthly data released Friday by the Japan National Tourism Organization.
By country and region, the largest number came from South Korea at 703,300, up 29.0 percent from a year earlier, followed by China at 660,900, which more than tripled from the previous year.
Taiwan was third at 574,500, up 47.7 percent, according to the organization's preliminary data.
The government plans to introduce a new "pre-clearance" system from January next year to shorten the entry procedures for foreign visitors to Japan.
The new system, which was rolled out in Taiwan on a trial basis in February, conducts document checks and other pre-screening at departure airports, so only simple procedures are required at immigration upon arrival in Japan.
To attract foreign visitors to rural areas from popular city destinations, the government will consider setting up a financial support program to expand flights to regional airports.
Overtourism has affected the lives of residents and the environment through traffic congestion and visitors not following local rules. To help generate measures to deal with such issues, 20 regions across the country have been selected as pioneering models for raising awareness of how tourists are expected to behave.
The government, meanwhile, will add six areas, while planning to compile guidelines to address overtourism by the end of this year.
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