Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
About Terminology Found in JNTO Statistics Publications
Visitor Arrivals
Visitor Arrivals shows number of travelers from abroad who have visited Japan, and is calculated uniquely by JNTO based on statistics on Immigration Control provided by the Immigration Bureau at the Ministry of Justice.
Definition of the Visitor Arrivals
Visitor Arrivals to Japan are calculated based on the number of travelers of foreign nationality entering Japan provided by the Ministry of Justice. Those figures exclude permanent residents having Japan as their primary place of residence and include travelers entering Japan for the purpose of transit. Foreigners entering or re-entering Japan, such as expatriates and their families, and international students are included in Visitor Arrivals to Japan. Crew members are excluded.
Counting Visitor Arrivals
Each instance of entry into the country/area is counted as one person.
(Example: If the same person visits Japan once in January and then once again in September, they are counted as two people)
Difference Between Preliminary Figures, Provisional Figures and Definitive Figures for the Visitor Arrivals
Preliminary figures are estimate figures published by JNTO the month following the month in question and are calculated to the nearest hundred.
Provisional figures are figures that are close to the definitive figures, and are announced two months after the release of the estimate figures. These are calculated to the nearest single digit. These figures also contain clear breakdowns of purposes of visit, showing numbers in terms of tourism, business and other purposes.
Definitive figures are the final figures calculated by JNTO using definitive yearly data published by the Ministry of Justice in July of the year following the year concerned. These figures are calculated to the nearest single digit.
Definition of Japanese Overseas Travelers
This is the number of Japanese nationals who have traveled abroad.
JNTO uniquely calculates its figures using statistics on Immigration Control provided by the Immigration Bureau at the Ministry of Justice and publishes this information in conjunction with data on the Visitor Arrivals the month after the month concerned. After data is published, amendments are made in accordance with quick estimations, monthly reports and yearly reports released by the Ministry of Justice.
About Statistics Information and Marketing Data Published by JNTO
Publishing Date of Statistics
Scheduled publishing dates for statistics are as shown below.
Monthly announcements are made regarding the figures below.
Visitor Arrivals
Preliminary figures for the previous month and provisional figures for the previous three months (in addition to the overall figures, a breakdown by tourism, business and other purposes of visit)
Japanese Overseas Travelers
Preliminary figures for the previous month, quick estimates for two months previous (Ministry of Justice), monthly report figures from three months previous
Materials on Statistics Published in the Past
Past statistics (from 2010 to most recent) are available in PDF format at the "Statistics on Visitor Arrivals" page below.
Are there any data or materials concerning inbound-related information other than the published statistics materials?
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Basic data of target markets of the Visit JAPAN campaign are published.
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The latest market trends are published.
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Statistics data (Visitor Arrivals/Japanese Overseas Travelers)
Statistics data for Visitor Arrivals and Japanese Overseas Travelers are published.
About the Existence of Data and Usage Methods
Please tell me the number of visitors coming to Japan from a specific country.
Visitor Arrivals are based on the number of foreign nationals legally entering the country according to data compiled by the Ministry of Justice. The nationality of the visitors are counted; therefore, these figures do not express the numbers of visitors coming from specific countries, but show only their nationalities.
(Example: Even if the visitor in question has come to Japan from a country other than the US, they are counted as an American visiting Japan if they have US nationality.)
I would like to know the number of visitor arrivals to individual prefectures in Japan.
These figures are not available by JNTO.
Please refer to the "Overnight Travel Statistics Survey" and "Consumption Trend Survey for Foreigners Visiting Japan" which are published by Japan Tourism Agency for similar figures.
Do you have Visitor Arrivals information by target demographic or by their religion?
These figures are not available by JNTO.
I would like to know about repeat visitors.
These figures are not available by JNTO. Please refer to the surveys on consumption trends of foreign travelers to Japan, released by the Japan Tourism Agency, which includes the number of visits made to Japan.
Do you have information on the Visitor Arrivals based on major holidays for each market, such as Lunar New Year, Easter, and Thai New Year?
These figures are not available by JNTO. Please refer to the monthly figures.
Please tell me the destination and volume of Japanese nationals traveling overseas.
These figures are not available by JNTO. However, we have summarized the number of Japanese visitors to each country/area that were announced by those countries/areas on Trends of Japanese Visitors. Please note that the basis of the statistics differ depending on the country/area, and they do not necessarily reflect the number of Japanese traveling abroad to a specific destination.
Please tell me the forecast of Visitor Arrivals by their country/area of origin.
These figures are not available by JNTO.
I would like to obtain basic data and market trends reports on other markets.
Data is available only for target markets of the Visit JAPAN campaign.
I want to use the figures found in marketing data contained in your press releases and website.
Please clearly state the source of the information as "Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO)."
To the Media:
If you would like to reference data sets or charts published by JNTO, please submit detailed information through the Data Usage Application Form.
I would like to obtain more data that would be useful for marketing and market analyses.
Please consider using JNTO's various publications and membership program.