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Spending by foreign visitors in Japan hit record USD7b in April-June

Spending by foreign travellers in Japan in the April-to-June period totalled an estimated JPY888.7 billion (USD7.15 billion), a record high, thanks to Chinese spending small fortunes on Japanese-made products, sources said.

With total spending in the first half of this year already topping JPY1.59 trillion, "it is certain that the figure for the full year will set a new record," surpassing last year’s all-time high of JPY2.31 trillion, a government source said on Thursday.

The government led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved a revamped growth strategy in June under which it aims to double the amount of money foreign travellers spend in Japan to JPY4 trillion.