TOKYO, March 18 (Reuters) - Visitors to Japan in February rose 6.4% from a year earlier to set a new record for the month, government data showed on Wednesday, despite a drop-off in Chinese tourists amid ongoing diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
Inbound visitors totalled 3.46 million last month, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) said, while arrivals from China fell 45% to 396,400.
JNTO said the numbers were partly helped by the Lunar New Year holiday falling in February this year rather than in late January last year.
At the Kawazu Sakura Festival in eastern Japan, known for its early-blooming cherry blossoms that begin flowering in early February, the decline in Chinese tourists was notable, said Hoshi Mori, the director of the town's tourism association.
Still, the festival drew about 630,000 visitors, its highest attendance since 2022, thanks to an increase in domestic tourists and those from Taiwan, Mori said.
South Korea remained the top source of visitors in February, rising 28% to 1.08 million. Arrivals from Taiwan in February rose 37% to 693,600.
(Reporting by Hina Suzuki, Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)
