The number of foreign visitors to Japan fell 0.4 percent in November from a year earlier to 2,441,300, declining for the second straight month due to a continued sharp fall in tourists from South Korea amid a deterioration in bilateral ties, government data showed Wednesday.
If the trend continues, the number of foreign visitors is likely to total around 32 million this year, making the government's goal of 40 million in 2020 a difficult achievement.
"A number of measures are necessary in order to meet the target of 40 million visitors," Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Hiroshi Tabata said at a news conference. "We'll develop programs to create demand and attract more visitors."