23 January
The number of Japanese visitors to South Korea rose last year. This was due to the strong yen and more young people traveling to the neighboring country.
The South Korean tourism authorities said on Wednesday that the country had about 3.27 million travelers from Japan in 2019. That's up 11 percent from the previous year. It topped the 3 million mark for the first time in seven years.
Officials say the Japanese currency was strong, and that scenic places and other destinations fit for Instagram photos attracted mainly young people.
In the first half of the year, there were increases of more than 20 percent in all the months, year-on-year. But they shrank in the second half, and there were year-on-year drops for three straight months from October.
The South Korean officials say the number of South Koreans visiting Japan declined sharply after the Japanese government tightened export control for the country in July. They note that as a result, airlines suspended or reduced flights between the two countries, and this also affected trips from Japan to South Korea.
NHK
