Tokyo, Oct 16 (IANS): Japan logged 2,872,200 foreign visitors in September, the highest number ever recorded for the month as travellers continue to flow in, bolstered largely by a weak yen, government data showed on Wednesday.

The figure marked a 31.5 per cent rise compared to the same month last year and a 26.4 per cent increase compared to September 2019 before the pandemic, the Japan National Tourism Organisation said in a report.

Increased flights to Japan, along with more outbound travellers during public holidays in neighbouring countries such as South Korea and China contributed to the surge, Xinhua news agency reported.

For eight consecutive months, Japan has set record highs for foreign visitor arrivals as the country introduced a series of initiatives to attract inbound visitors and boost tourism across the country.

From January to September, the total number of foreign visitors reached 26,880,200, surpassing the 25,066,350 recorded for the whole of last year.

Meanwhile, the number of outbound Japanese travellers rose 20.7 per cent year on year to 1,212,600 in September.