１９年訪日客、２．２％増　３１８８万人、政府目標遠く

　国土交通省は１０日、２０１９年の訪日外国人数が前年比２．２％増の約３１８８万人となり、７年連続で過去最高を更新したと発表した。ただ、日韓関係悪化に伴う韓国人客の急減で伸び率は１８年の８．７％増から鈍化。２０年に４０００万人とする政府目標はなお遠い。
　赤羽一嘉国交相は同日の閣議後記者会見で「目標達成へ、ありとあらゆる手を打っていく」と語った。
　２０年は東京五輪・パラリンピックが開催され、日本への関心は「かつてないほど高まる」（赤羽氏）。羽田空港の発着枠拡大や那覇空港の滑走路増設などにより、訪日客の受け入れ能力も６００万人増える。これらを追い風に訪日客の取り込みを加速する考えだ。（2020/01/10-17:41）

The number of foreign visitors to Japan in 2019 rose 2.2 pct from the previous year to 31.88 million, marking a record high for the seventh straight year, tourism minister Kazuyoshi Akaba said Friday.
   But the pace of growth slowed from the 8.7 pct in 2018, due mainly to a decline in the number of visitors from South Korea amid strained relations between the two countries.
   Some in the tourism industry believe it is difficult to achieve the government's target of increasing the annual number of visitors to Japan to 40 million in 2020, when the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held.
   Major travel agency JTB Corp. has estimated that the number of visitors in 2020 will stand at 34.30 million.
   "We will use every trick in the book to achieve the target," Akaba said, signaling an intention to capitalize on the Tokyo Games and an increase in the number of takeoff and landing slots at Tokyo International Airport at Haneda.