500,000 Foreigners Enter Japan in October... 120,000 Koreans 'Most'

29,0000 Increase Compared to Previous Month · 22.5 Times Increase Compared to Same Period Last Year

Shibuya, Japan. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] As the Japanese government resumed visa-free entry for foreigners, it was revealed that among the foreigners who entered Japan last month, Koreans were the most frequent visitors.

On the 16th, the Japan National Tourism Organization announced that the number of foreigners who entered Japan last month was tentatively estimated at about 498,000.

This is an increase of about 290,000 compared to the estimated 206,500 entrants in September. Compared to 22,113 in the same period last year, it increased 22.5 times.

Compared to October 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, it is about 20% of that level.

Among foreigners entering Japan, about 123,000 were Koreans, the highest number. Americans were about 51,000, followed by about 21,000 from Hong Kong.

The Japan National Tourism Organization stated, "Tourists from East Asia excluding China have greatly increased," but also predicted that "it will take time to recover to pre-COVID-19 levels."

The Japanese government previously resumed visa-free entry for 68 countries, including Korea, on the 11th of last month, after 2 years and 7 months since the COVID-19 outbreak.

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