Apr 16 (NHK) - Japan's Immigration Services Agency says the number of foreigners who entered the country in March fell by more than 90 percent from the same month last year, due largely to refused entries attributed to the coronavirus.
Preliminary data from the agency shows that 152,162 foreigners arrived in Japan. That number excludes people who were given permission to re-enter. The figure was 2,504,193 in March, 2019.
The number of visitors from China fell by more than 90 percent, with only 3,716 arrivals. There were 10,919 arrivals from South Korea. That figure also represents a 90 percent drop.
There were 20,989 visitors from the United States and 36,210 from European countries. Those numbers represent a decrease of about 80 percent.
The agency attributes the drop to the Japanese government's expansion last month of its entry ban on people coming from certain countries and regions. The rule initially applied to arrivals from parts of China and South Korea, but it was expanded to include people coming from some countries in Europe and other areas.
On April 3, Japan further increased the number of target countries and regions to 73. The United States and most of the nations in Europe were included.
Agency officials say the number of foreigners entering Japan during the month of April is likely to be even lower than the number that entered in March.
