TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Spending by foreign visitors to Japan reached 5.8 trillion yen ($39 billion) in the first nine months of 2024, surpassing the full-year record of 5.3 trillion yen set in 2023, the Japan Tourism Agency said Wednesday.

The outcome reflects a 54.7 percent jump in the number of foreign tourists to Japan, reaching 26.9 million during the same period, according to separate data from the Japan National Tourism Organization, an affiliate of the agency.

Japan has seen a tourism boom, driven by the yen's depreciation, which boosts the purchasing power of visitors from abroad, while the country's anime, manga and other subcultures continue to be a major draw for them.

In the July-September quarter, their accommodation, shopping and other travel-related expenses totaled 1.9 trillion yen, according to the agency.

In September alone, the number of foreign tourists to Japan surged 31.5 percent from a year earlier to 2.9 million.

By country and region, South Korea topped the list with 656,700 visitors, up 15.1 percent, as charter flights between it and Japan increased.

Some 652,300 people visited Japan from China in September, more than double the number in the same month last year, as more local flights between the two countries became available, the JNTO said.

Taiwan came in third with 470,600 visitors, up 22.2 percent, followed by the United States with 191,900, up 22.5 percent, according to JNTO data.