The number of tourists visiting Japan has been on the rise this year, thanks mainly to the cheaper yen. In August, a record 907,000 foreign tourists visited Japan, an increase of 17.1 percent from the same month in 2012. This surpasses the 803,000 figure reported in August 2010. Among 40 major countries, Japan ranks 33rd in attracting foreign tourists.
The number foreigners visiting Japan for sightseeing could top 10 million this year, a goal set by the government. Mr. Naruhito Kubo, Japan Tourism Agency commissioner, said if the present trend continues, 10.14 million foreign tourists will visit Japan this year.
The government and the tourist industry must examine whether they are making serious efforts to make foreign tourists' visits to Japan as comfortable as possible. One important area where they could make progress is the language barrier.