Japan Receives 13.4 Million Foreign Tourists In 2014

Japan received a record 13.4 million foreign tourists in 2014 as a plunge in the value of the yen made the country, previously known for its high prices, more affordable to visitors from elsewhere in Asia and beyond.

Final figures for 2014 showed a 29% increase from a year earlier, providing a boost for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ’s economic policy, under which the weaker currency is intended to make Japan more competitive in everything from manufacturing to tourism.

Japan has a long way to go before it enters the tourism big leagues, ranking only 27th worldwide in the number of foreign tourists in 2013, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. France, the world leader, attracted 85 million foreign visitors in 2013, followed by the U.S. with 70 million. In Asia, China led the way with 56 million.

Still, the latest total marks an impressive rebound from three years earlier, when the number of foreign tourists fell to 6.2 million, hurt by the global economic crisis and the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident of March 11, 2011. In 2011 and 2012, recovery was held back by diplomatic tensions with South Korea and China, the first- and third-largest sources of overseas visitors to Japan.

Now Chinese, especially, are returning in droves. Last year, 2.4 million Chinese tourists traveled to Japan, up 83% from a year earlier.

The Japanese government has taken a number of steps to try to attract still more tourists, including easing visa restrictions and expanding the sales tax exemption for international visitors. Previously reserved for durable goods like cameras and rice cookers, as of last October it was broadened to include consumable products like cosmetics and sake.

In the run up to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, tourism officials are also stepping up efforts to make Japan easier for foreigners to navigate. In 2013 they persuaded the country’s three biggest banks to phase in automated teller machines that work with foreign bank cards.