Number of foreign visitors to Japan likely to hit 10m

The number of foreign visitors to Japan in 2013 is almost certain to achieve the government target of 10 million per year, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday. According to the government body, the total number of foreign visitors to the country in the January-November period already reached 9,499,300, up 23.9 percent on the year, bringing the government closer to meeting its goal of attracting 10 million annual travelers. In November alone, an estimated 839,800 foreigners arrived in Japan on sightseeing or business, according to the tourism bureau. The figure jumped 29. 5 percent from a year earlier for the 10th consecutive monthly expansion, thanks to a weaker yen and the effect of easier visa requirements for Southeast Asian tourists, it said. Among the countries, the number of travelers from China, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and India set all-time highs for the month of November. But South Korean visitors declined due to concern among South Koreans over radioactive water leak at the tsunami-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the bureau said. In July, the Japanese government relaxed visa requirements for Southeast Asian countries to draw more tourists from the region. Japan's tourism industry is expected to benefit from the 2020 Summer Olympics to be hosted by Tokyo. The Tokyo metropolitan government estimates 8.5 million foreign tourists