Japan continued its stellar record of tourism growth with its sixth consecutive yearly increase to 28.7 million visitors in 2017.
That is up 19.3% from last year and represents a tripling of inbound arrivals in just five years.
"In 2017, there was a sharp increase in tourists from Asia, and we need to make more efforts to attract tourists from a wide range of countries and regions," said land, infrastructure, transport and tourism minister Keiichi Ishii.
Ishii credits the growth to a significant increase in new low cost routes to Japan and more cruise ship calls.
The easing of visa requirements for Chinese and Russian travellers also boosted numbers.
The Japan government has set a new goal of reaching 40 million arrivals in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
"In addition to individual Asian visitors and repeat customers, we need to continue raising awareness among potential tourists in Europe, the U.S. and Australia," Ishii said.
To fund this, the government a 1,000 yen departure tax will be levied on every tourist leaving Japan effective from January 2019.
