Visitors to Japan in Jan.-Nov. Top Yearly High

Tokyo, Dec. 17 (Jiji Press)--The number of foreign visitors to Japan in January-November is estimated to have totaled 39,065,600, already exceeding the annual record high of about 36.87 million marked last year, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday.

The 11-month figure grew 17.0 pct from a year earlier, putting the full-year tally on track to exceed 40 million for the first time.

In November alone, the estimated number of foreign visitors rose 10.4 pct to 3,518,000.

Meanwhile, the monthly number of visitors from mainland China grew at the slowest pace this year, rising only 3.0 pct to 562,600, the lowest figure so far this year. This reflects Beijing's call for Chinese citizens to avoid visiting Japan, amid heightened tensions between the two countries over Taiwan.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Shigeki Murata noted "very strong growth" in the number of visitors from Europe, the United States, Australia and Middle Eastern countries.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]