With 23% jump on year, Japan sees record number of foreign visitors for February

The estimated number of foreign visitors in February soared 23.3 percent from a year earlier to 2,509,300, a record for the month, the Japan Tourism Agency said Tuesday.

The Lunar New Year, which started in late January last year, began in the middle of February this year, boosting the number of tourists from Asian countries.

By country and region, visitors from mainland China ranked at the top at 716,400, up 40.7 percent from a year before. Visitors from South Korea ranked second at 708,300, up 18.1 percent, followed by Taiwan at 400,900 and Hong Kong at 178,500.

The Lunar New Year holidays prompted tourists from these countries and regions to travel to Japan, the agency said.

Visitors from Singapore and Malaysia also showed strong growth at 33.2 percent and 32.4 percent, respectively, according to the agency's data.