Japan welcomed a record-breaking 36.87 million inbound visitors in 2024, marking a 15.6 percent increase compared to 2019, the Japan National Tourism Organization announced on Wednesday. This figure surpassed the previous high of 31.88 million inbound visitors in 2019 by nearly 5 million.

The number of visitors from South Korea and the United States rose by about 58 percent each compared to 2019. However, the number of visitors from the Chinese mainland declined by 27.2 percent, according to the organization.

Japanese travel agency JTB estimates that the number of inbound visitors to Japan in 2025 will exceed 40 million for the first time.

Separate statistics released by the Japan Tourism Agency on Wednesday revealed that total spending by foreign visitors reached a record-breaking 8.14 trillion yen ($52 billion) last year, marking the highest figure ever recorded for a calendar year. This represents a 69.1 percent increase from 2019.

The top five countries and regions contributing to this spending were the Chinese mainland, China's Taiwan region, South Korea, the United States, and China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Together, these top five markets accounted for 65.7 percent of the total spending.

Per capita travel expenditures rose to 227,242 yen, an increase of 6.8 percent from the previous year and 43.3 percent from 2019.

The Japanese government aims to attract 60 million inbound visitors annually and boost their spending to 15 trillion yen by 2030. However, officials also emphasize the need to address over-tourism and aim to promote travel to destinations beyond the three largest metropolitan areas, the public broadcaster NHK reported.