Japan tourism hits record despite China spat, Iran war

Japanese official data showed on Wednesday that foreign tourists coming to Japan hit a new record in March despite another huge drop in Chinese visitors as well as a fall in those from the Middle East. Previously, Chinese travelers were the biggest source of tourists to Japan while those from the Middle East fell 30 percent to 16,700 because of the Iran war.

The Japan National Tourism Organization said the total number of tourists was boosted by the start of the cherry blossom season around late March, and school holidays coinciding with Easter in April.