(KPL/KYODO NEWS) The number of foreign visitors to Japan jumped 36.0 percent from a year earlier to 2.93 million in August, a record high for the month, as the yen's depreciation gave travelers from overseas more purchasing power, government data showed Wednesday.

The total also represents a 16.4 percent rise from August 2019, before the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. August is a peak season for holiday travel in the Asian nation.

By country and region, 745,800 people visited Japan from China, roughly double the number from the previous year, as flights between the two neighbors increased during the month, the institution said. China retained the top spot for the second consecutive month.

South Korea ranked second with 612,100 visitors, up 7.6 percent, followed by Taiwan with 564,300, up 42.4 percent, and Hong Kong with 246,600, up 19.6 percent, the organization's preliminary data showed.

The cumulative number of visitors from January to August surpassed 24 million, an increase of 58.0 percent compared to the same period last year.

Meanwhile, the number of Japanese traveling overseas in August rose 19.7 percent from a year earlier to 1.44 million but plunged 31.9 percent compared to 2019 as the yen remained weak against other major currencies, making people reluctant to spend abroad.

In Japan, the weather agency in early August issued its first-ever advisory warning of the heightened risk of a megaquake along the Nankai Trough that stretches from central to southwestern Japan in the Pacific.

In the wake of the advisory, accommodation facilities in tourist spots, particularly those along the Pacific coast in central and western Japan, experienced cancellations, while some beaches in the regions were closed and swimming was prohibited.

KPL