This year, 33.38 million foreigners visited Japan.Korea is No. 1 with 7.95 million people.

Photo Source: Yonhap News

The number of foreigners visiting Japan this year has already exceeded the annual record of 33.38 million, the Japanese government's tourism bureau said.

In the first 11 months of this year, Korea had the highest number of foreign visitors, or 7.95 million, or 23.8%.

It was followed by China, Taiwan, the United States, and Hong Kong.

In 2019, there were twice as many visitors to China as Korea, but this year, Korea turned the tables.

"China has seen flights with Japan remain at 70% before the COVID-19 outbreak due to the economic slowdown, but South Korea's relations with Japan are good, so the number of visitors has already reached a record high in the first 11 months of this year," the Japanese government tourism bureau said.

In July, then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida predicted at a ministerial meeting promoting tourism entry, "This year, 35 million foreigners will visit Japan, 8 trillion yen, and 74.9 trillion won in Korean consumption."