Visitors to Japan hit record 1.76 million in April

4月の訪日外国人、170万人を突破　過去最高を更新
The estimated number of foreign visitors to Japan in April rose 43.3 pct from a year before to 1,764,700, hitting a monthly record for the third straight month, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday.

The growth chiefly reflected strong demand for cherry blossom viewing at a time when the number of foreign visitors is growing thanks to the yen's weakening and relaxed visa requirements for people from China and some Southeast Asian countries.

Visitors from China accounted for the largest share of the total, at 405,800, up 2.1-fold year on year. Taiwan came second, with 335,100 visitors, up 29.9 pct, followed by South Korea, with 304,600, up 57.0 pct.