Japan sees record number of foreign visitors for May
More than 3.6 million foreigners visited Japan in May, marking a record high for the month. But there was a greater than 10 percent drop in visitors from Hong Kong due to an unfounded rumor that a major earthquake and tsunami will hit the country this summer.
The Japan National Tourism Organization says an estimated 3.69 million foreigners visited Japan last month.
That is a 21.5 percent increase over last May, and the highest figure ever for the month.
The major countries with the biggest jumps in visitors were China and the United States, which saw increases of 44.8 percent and 26.3 percent, respectively.
Many other countries and regions surveyed set records for May.
On the other hand, visitors from Hong Kong were down 11.2 percent as flights to various parts of Japan were canceled in the wake of the quake rumor.
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