The number of overseas travelers visiting Japan in September fell around 8.9 percent from a year ago to 346,000, due to the impact of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, a government-affiliated body said Thursday.
The Japan National Tourist Organization also reported that the number of Japanese who made overseas trips in the month dropped 21.5 percent from a year earlier to 1.32 million.
Airlines were forced to temporarily suspend all passenger flights between the United States and Japan as airports in the U.S. were closed in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks. Also, many tourists canceled overseas flights to other regions out of fear of terrorism, JNTO said.