TOKYO — Foreign tourist arrivals to Japan were down 31.9% from January to May compared with the first five months of 2010, according to figures released by the Japan Tourism Agency.
Arrivals fell from from 3.5 million to 2.4 million, largely due to the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake/tsunami and ensuing nuclear crisis in the Tohoku region north of Tokyo.
In May alone, arrivals plummeted more than 50%. Some 40,800 Americans arrived in Japan in May, down from 65,559 in May 2010.
Tourist arrivals from the U.S., Japan's fourth-largest source market (after South Korea, mainland China and Taiwan), were off 30.3% for the first five months of the year.