Japan crosses 10 million visitors through March at fastest ever pace

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan crossed the 10 million visitor mark at the fastest ever pace in March, official data showed on Wednesday, as the weak yen propelled a record tourism boom.

Arrivals of foreign visitors for business and leisure were 3.5 million last month, bringing the total through the first quarter to 10.54 million, data from the Japan National Tourism Organization showed.

Spending by foreign visitors in the January–March amounted to 2.27 trillion yen, preliminary data from the transport ministry showed, up 28.4% from last year.

(Reporting by Rocky Swift; Editing by Stephen Coates)