The number of foreign visitors to Japan in August surged 42 percent from a year earlier to an estimated 776,000 — the second-highest figure for the reporting month, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Friday.
The figure is 3.3 percent lower than in August 2010, when the monthly record was set, it said.
The tally for the eight-month period ending in August fell 3.7 percent from the same period in 2010 to 5,666,400, showing that the tourism industry is still feeling the effects of last year's earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster and the yen's persistent strength.
By country and region, travelers from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam posted record highs for the month, while visitors from Singapore, South Korea and Europe lagged, the group said.