Visitors to Japan Up 7.6 Pct in Feb.

Tokyo, March 15 (Jiji Press)--The estimated number of visitors to Japan in February rose 7.6 pct from a year before to 2,035,800, hitting a record high for the month, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday. The growth, however, fell below 10 pct for the first time in four years, as this year's Chinese Lunar New Year holidays started in late January, earlier than in February the previous year. The slowdown also followed a leap year in 2016. The number of visitors from South Korea jumped 22.2 pct to 600,000, followed by 509,100 visitors from mainland China, up 2.0 pct, 343,000 from Taiwan, down 1.7 pct, and 140,600 from Hong Kong, down 7.4 pct. Visitors from Taiwan decreased for the first time in four years and a month. "Competition to attract Taiwanese tourists is intensifying, with offers of low-priced flights to Europe increasing," Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Akihiko Tamura told a press conference. In January-February, the total number of visitors from abroad grew 15.7 pct to 4,331,500. END