16.3-M Foreigners Visit Japan This Year; Duty-free Shops Surge

Tokyo (PNA/Kyodo) — The number of foreign visitors to Japan this year marked an estimated record of 16.32 million as of October, the country’s National Tourism Organization said Wednesday.

In line with the rise in visitors from abroad, the number of duty-free shops across Japan more than tripled to a total of 29,047 as of Oct. 1 from 9,361 a year earlier, according to the Japan Tourism Agency.

On Oct. 1, 2014, Japan expanded its list of purchasable duty-free items for foreign visitors to include food, alcohol, drugs and cosmetics on top of electronic goods, clothing and bags that were already exempted from the consumption tax for travelers. (PNA/Kyodo) LGI/BNB/RSM