The number of foreign tourists to Japan in 2005 is estimated to have been a record high 6.73 million, up 590,000 from the previous year, transport chief Kazuo Kitagawa said Tuesday.
The 2005 World Exposition in Aichi Prefecture from March to September contributed to the second straight annual rise in the number of foreign tourists, according to the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry.
The final figure will be released in April, according to the ministry.
The number of travelers from Taiwan rose markedly as Japan campaigned heavily there, Kitagawa told a news conference after a Cabinet meeting.
The government hopes its "Visit Japan" campaign boosts the number of foreign travelers to 10 million by 2010, and plans to step up tourism exchanges with China and South Korea as the two countries are markets with strong potential.
Fewer go to China
BEIJING (Kyodo) China said Tuesday that Japan lost the top position in terms of the number of foreign tourists to the country in 2005.
Overall, the number of foreign visitors to China was up 19.5 percent from a year earlier to 20.25 million, the Chinese government said Tuesday.
South Korea was the new No. 1.
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