BY THE NUMBERS: Japanese visas soar with tourism push

TOKYO (AP) - As Japan steps up its efforts to attract overseas tourists, the number of visas issued hit a record high in 2015. Not all foreign nationals require visas to enter Japan, but data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reflect the overall growth in tourism and the sharp rise in travelers from China. Here’s a look, by the numbers, at Japanese visas in 2015.

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Visas issued in 2015: 4,768,286

Visas issued in 2014: 2,871,639

Increase over one year: 66 percent

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Visas for Chinese nationals: 3,780,773

Share of total: 79 percent

Visas for Chinese tourists (under the most common visas): 3,156,259

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Visas for Philippine nationals (No. 2) : 225,676

Indonesians (No. 3): 162,273

Vietnamese (No. 4): 139,236

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Visitors to Japan in 2015: 19,737,409

Visitors to Japan in 2014: 13,413,467

Increase over one year: 47 percent