Japan's Jan.-March foreign visitor spending hits 3rd highest 2.3 tril. yen

TOKYO - Spending by foreign tourists to Japan in the January-March period rose 2.5 percent from a year earlier to 2.3 trillion yen ($15 billion), the third-highest quarterly total on record, government data showed Wednesday, reflecting continued growth in visitor numbers.

The increase, reported by the Japan Tourism Agency, was supported by rising arrivals from South Korea and Taiwan, despite a sharp decline in visitors from China amid diplomatic tensions with Japan over Taiwan.