TOKYO: The number of foreign visitors to Japan in October came to 2,516,500, up 0.8 percent from the same month in 2019, marking the first time the monthly figure has exceeded the pre-COVID-19 pandemic level, government data showed Wednesday.
The latest figure was up by around fivefold from the same month last year, as the yen's depreciation and resumed airline services contributed to the return of foreigners, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.
Visitor arrivals from January to October totaled 19,891,100, recovering to 73.9 percent of the pre-pandemic level. The figure is at the pace of reaching 25 million for 2023.
Meanwhile, the country saw an estimated 937,700 Japanese nationals traveling overseas in October, 43.6 percent less than in the same month in 2019.
