Spending by Visitors to Japan Beats Pre-Pandemic Levels

Spending by foreign visitors to Japan exceeded pre-pandemic levels in September as the weak yen boosted their consumption power, giving a needed jolt to the economic recovery.

Outlays by visitors came to ¥1.39 trillion ($9.2 billion) in the July-September quarter, up 17.7 % from the same period in 2019 before the pandemic, the Japan Tourism Agency said on Wednesday. A separate report from Japan’s National Tourism Organization showed that the number of foreign visitors to Japan recovered in September to more than 96% of pre-pandemic levels.