Japan and S. Korea remain each other's top destination

South Korea was the top overseas destination for Japanese travelers by market share, as a weak yen and the country's growing cultural pull draw record numbers of visitors, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Monday. Japanese arrivals reached 2.28 million in the first seven months of 2026, up 18.8 percent from 1.92 million a year earlier, the ministry said. That growth far outpaced the 4.1 percent rise in Japanese overseas travel overall, which totaled 8.14 million people through Jul