JAPAN TIMES
 
The number of foreign visitors to Japan this year has exceeded 13 million for the first time ever, the transport and tourism ministry said Monday.
 
The number has shot up nearly 30 percent from the year-before level chiefly thanks to the yen’s weakening against other currencies.
 
Relaxed visa requirements for visitors from Southeast Asia and the expanded range of products for which foreign tourists enjoy consumption tax exemption also contributed to the increase.
 
At a ceremony held at Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture, transport minister Akihiro Ota said it would be great if those who visited Japan told others how wonderful the country is.
 
To realize its goal of boosting the annual visitor tally to 20 million by 2020, the government will strive further to make Japan a country in which foreign tourists can travel more comfortably, including by making Wi-Fi wireless communications available in many more places, Ota said.