The number of foreign visitors has risen faster than last year, with more than 10 million arriving in the first six months, the Japan Tourism Agency said Tuesday.
It took about seven months to reach the 10 million threshold in 2015, when a record 19.74 million foreign nationals visited Japan. If the rate is sustained, annual arrivals will top 20 million this year.
Separately, the government said Tuesday it will allow hotel operators to add up to 50 percent extra floor space to cope with the surge.