Which Country Ranked First in Tourists Traveling to Japan in September?

South Korea Ranks 1st with 32,700 People ... China Held 1st Place from 2018 to 2019
Yen Weakness and Visa-Free Entry Expected to Increase Korean Travelers in October

On the morning of the 11th, when visa-free (visa exemption) travel for Koreans to Japan, which had been suspended due to the spread of COVID-19, resumed, passengers were waiting at the Asiana Airlines international counter at Gimpo International Airport to check in for the Gimpo-Haneda flight. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] For the first time since the outbreak of COVID-19, South Korea ranked first among foreign countries visiting Japan. This number of visitors was recorded in September, before the resumption of visa-free tourism, and there are expectations that the number will more than double in October compared to the previous month.

According to the statistics on visitors to Japan in September 2022 released by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) on the 28th, out of a total of 819,054 visitors, 32,700 were South Koreans, ranking first. Following were △Vietnam with 30,900 △United States with 18,000 △China with 17,600 △Indonesia with 9,200, among others.

This is the first time since the outbreak of COVID-19 that South Korea has ranked first in the number of visitors to Japan. From 2018 to 2019, China consistently held the top spot, and from January to August this year, Vietnam was the most frequent visitor to Japan. South Korea had maintained visitor numbers in the second or third place range.

Considering that until September visa-free tourism had not yet resumed, the number is expected to increase further in October. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s Aviation Information Portal System, the number of passengers on the Korea-Japan route from October 11 to 17, the week when visa-free entry to Japan resumed, was 94,427, accounting for 56% of the total passengers in September in just one week. If this trend continues, the number in October is expected to be more than double that of the previous month.

The weak yen also appears to be influencing demand for travel to Japan. Recently, in the Tokyo foreign exchange market, the yen-dollar exchange rate briefly surpassed 150 yen, hovering around historically low levels. The yen-dollar exchange rate exceeding 150 yen is the first time in 32 years since August 1990, the late period of the "bubble" economy. The yen-dollar exchange rate, which was around 115 yen at the beginning of this year, rose to the 140 yen level on September 1 for the first time in 24 years, and reached 150 yen within nearly two months.

Due to these circumstances, the industry expects an early normalization of the Japan travel market. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced that the Korea-Japan international passenger ferry service, which had been restricted since March 2020 due to COVID-19, will be normalized. Passenger ferry operations, which had only been conducted for cargo transport, will resume. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries expects that the normalization of the Korea-Japan international passenger ferry service will help resolve difficulties faced by ferry operators and revitalize the tourism industry in areas near ports.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.