Foreigners Entering Japan Hit Record 36.78 M. in 2024

Tokyo, Jan. 24 (Jiji Press)--The number of foreigners who entered Japan in 2024 surged 42.4 pct from the previous year to a record 36.78 million, the Immigration Services Agency said in a preliminary report Friday.

The rise reflected an increase in the number of regular international passenger flights and a surge in the number of foreign visitors amid the yen’s weakening.

The previous record was 31.19 million, marked in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Excluding re-entries, the number of foreign entrants rose 43.2 pct to a record 34.02 million in 2024.

By country or region, the number of entrants from South Korea was the largest, at 8.63 million, up from 6.81 million in the previous year, followed by Taiwan, at 5.69 million, up from 4.07 million, and mainland China, at 5.49 million, up from 2 million.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]