Tourism arrivals to Japan reached another record high in May, up 3.7% year on year to 2.7 million.
It was an all-time record for the month of May with increases from the US, Europe and Russia, as well as established markets in Asia.
Visitor traffic from top market China was up more than 13% to 756,000, although South Korea declined by 5.8%, according to data from the Japan Tourism Agency.
Other key markets Singapore and Taiwan also showed declines although it was partly offset by big double-digit increases in travellers from Vietnam and Russia.
Citing the decline in the Korean market, JTA commissioner Hiroshi Tabata said: "The environment of competition is tough."
Japan has welcomed nearly 14 million tourist arrivals so far in the first five months of 2019, which is up 4%.
The goal is for 40 million foreign visitors in 2020 when the Tokyo Olympics is held.
The agency is stepping up marketing efforts for the Olympics as well as for this year’s Rugby World Cup.
