INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
More than twice as lots of Russian tourists have actually gone to Japan so far this year compared to 2023, according to initial information
from the Japan National Tourism Organization published on Thursday.In the first 9 months of 2024, nearly 64,000 Russians went to the East
Asia island country, while the very same period in 2015 saw just 27,070 visitors from Russia
The uptick likely reflects a steady healing to pre-pandemic levels of tourist after Japanlifted all Covid-19 travel limitations in April
In 2019, the year before the pandemic interrupted worldwide travel and triggered lockdowns, a record 120,000 Russian tourists visited
Japan.Overall, Japan hasreceived nearly 27 million visitors up until now in 2024, with South Korean (6.5 million), Chinese (5.2 million),
and Taiwanese (4.5 million) tourists topping the list.Japan joined the United States and Europe in placing sweeping financial sanctions
versus Russia over its major invasion of Ukraine in February 2022
Tokyo froze the possessions of private Russians and groups and prohibited the export of products to business in Russiaâ $ s defense sector,
as well as the export of construction and engineering services.Japan and Russia are likewise locked in a territorial dispute surrounding the
Kuril Islands, which Tokyo calls its Northern Territories and which the Soviet Union recorded throughout World War II.
