The number of foreigners entering Japan in the first half of the year decreased by nearly 80% year-on-year

　(Fighting New Crown Pneumonia) The number of foreigners entering Japan in the first half of the year decreased by nearly 80% year-on-year

　　China News Agency, Tokyo, October 9 (Reporter Lu Shaowei) According to data released by the Japan Immigration and Residency Administration on the 9th, the number of new foreigners entering Japan in the first half of 2020 (January to June) is approximately 3.45 million , A decrease of 77% over the same period last year, a drop of nearly 80%.

　　This year is also the year in which the number of newly arrived foreigners in Japan has decreased again after 8 years since the 2011 "March 11" earthquake.

From the perspective of visa categories, about 3.35 million foreigners who entered the country in the first half of the year had short-term visas such as tourism, accounting for 97% of the total. Entry times were mainly concentrated in January and February.

　　Later, with the global spread of the new crown epidemic, Japan has gradually strengthened entry controls for foreigners.

The number of foreign tourists visiting Japan dropped sharply in March. According to estimates released by the Tourism Agency, the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan in March dropped by 93% compared with the same period last year, to 193,700.

　　The data also shows that the number of foreign immigrants in Japan in 2019 hit a record high of 28.4 million.

In terms of countries and regions, China and South Korea occupy the top two positions.

In the first half of this year, affected by the epidemic and restrictions on immigration, the number of visits to Japan from China and South Korea also dropped dramatically.

　　In terms of visa types, the number of foreigners holding study visas in the first half of this year decreased by 88.6%, the largest drop among all visa types.

At the same time, the number of Japanese departures in the first half of this year was approximately 2.994 million, a decrease of 68.7% from the same period last year.

　　Starting from October 1, Japan has gradually relaxed the entry restrictions for foreigners with medium and long-term residence status, allowing more foreigners to enter.

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