Japan aims to double annual foreign visitors to 20 million by 2020 Olympic Games

The Japanese government aims to increase the number of annual foreign visitors to 20 million by the 2020 Olympic Games, about twice the number of 2013, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.

“We have gained a great chance by hosting the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Abe recently.

He asked Cabinet members to review what restrictions and obstacles exist for foreign travelers in order to make Japan a more tourism-oriented country.

The number of foreign visitors arrived in Japan topped 10 million in 2013 for the first time, up 24 percent from the year before, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.

The organization contributed the result to the yen’s depreciation against other currencies and the easing of visa requirements for visitors from Southeast Asian countries from July.