THE number of foreign visitors to Japan topped 33 million from January to November, setting a new annual record, driven by a tourism boom and a weak yen, government estimates showed Wednesday.

The total stood at 33,379,900, surpassing the previous full-year high of 31.88 million set in 2019, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.

In November alone, foreign visitors rose 30.6 per cent year-on-year to 3.18 million. Each month this year has record­ed at least 30 per cent growth compared with the same period last year.

Addressing issues related to overtourism, such as traffic congestion and disruptions to local residents’ lives, will be es­sential for the government to achieve its goal of attracting 60 million foreign visitors annually by 2030.

— Kyodo