The number of foreign visitors to Japan plunged 87 per cent in 2020 to a 22-year low as the country mostly closed its borders in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, data from the Japan National Tourism Organisation showed.

The number of foreign arrivals, which include tourism and business arrivals, fell to about 4.1 million last year from 31.9m in 2019. It was the lowest annual figure since 1998.

The entrance gate to the normally crowded Kiyomizu temple, a favourite location among tourists, is pictured amid the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Kyoto, Japan, July 21, 2020. — Reuters
The entrance gate to the normally crowded Kiyomizu temple, a favourite location among tourists, is pictured amid the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Kyoto, Japan, July 21, 2020. — Reuters

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