Japan Sees First Tourism Drop Since 2013 on Quakes and Typhoon

The number of foreign tourists to Japan dropped for the first time in more than five years during September, as an earthquake and typhoon brought a temporary halt to travel in some of the country’s top destinations.

Tourist numbers fell 5.3 percent last month from a year earlier, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. That’s the first year-on-year contraction since January 2013. Visitor numbers from China, which accounts for the biggest portion of Japan’s tourists, shrank 3.8 percent in September, while tourism from South Korea fell 14 percent.