Foreign tourists to Japan hit record 8.61 mil. in 2010

TOKYO, Jan. 26 Kyodo - The number of foreign tourists visiting Japan hit an all-time high of 8,612,000 in 2010, up 26.8 percent from the previous year, due in part to the economic recovery overseas and the resumption of full-fledged international flight services at Haneda airport in Tokyo last October, a tourist organization said in a preliminary report Wednesday.
The previous record was 8,351,000 logged in 2008, according to the Japan National Tourist Organization.
The latest figure fell short of reaching the government-targeted 10 million as the yen's appreciation against other major currencies made trips to Japan relatively expensive, the organization said.
The rate of the year-on-year increase was the second highest in the last 50 years, following a 40.4 percent jump in 1970 when Japan's first world exposition was held in Osaka.
The number of tourists from China, France, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand reached record highs, it said.
Among the 2010 total, South Korean visitors accounted for the highest number at 2.44 million.
China came second with 1,413,000. Chinese tourists to Japan temporarily declined following maritime collisions between Japanese patrol boats and a Chinese fishing vessel near the disputed Senkaku Islands in September. But the figure for the full 2010 grew about 40 percent from the previous year, helped by relaxed requirements for visa applications for them last July and its booming economy, the organization said.
Taiwan ranked third at 1,268,000. Taiwan was followed by the United States with 727,000.
The Japan Tourism Agency, which aims to attract more than 11 million tourists to Japan this year, says it will step up efforts to promote the country in its four key eastern Asian markets -- China, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, the number of travelers departing from Japan in 2010 came to 16,637,000, up 7.7 percent from the previous year.