Photo/Illutration Foreign visitors crowd Tokyo’s Asakusa district on Sept. 11, 2024, a common sight seen even on weekdays. (Yoko Masuda)

Sixty-eight percent of Japanese respondents viewed last year’s record-breaking number of foreign visitors to Japan positively, a new survey showed.

This surpassed the 21 percent who said it was “not good.”

The Asahi Shimbun conducted the nationwide telephone survey on Jan. 18 and 19.

By age group, 79 percent of respondents aged 18 to 29 expressed positive views of the tourism increase, the highest of the groups polled―while 63 percent of those age 70 and older expressed positive views, the lowest.

By regions, the percentage of respondents who viewed the increase in foreign visitors positively was higher in Kanto, with 74 percent, and Kinki, with 69 percent.

On the other hand, the number was lower in Kyushu, with 54 percent, and Tokai, with 57 percent.

The survey also asked respondents to choose from four options regarding how much of a problem that overtourism has become―such as overcrowding and noise in local tourist areas due to the increase in foreign visitors.

A total of 78 percent of respondents considered overtourism a problem, with 23 percent answering “a lot” and 55 percent replying “to some extent.”

On the other hand, 21 percent did not see overtourism in a negative light, with 17 percent stating “not much” and 4 percent responding “not at all.”

The survey used the regression discontinuity design (RDD) method, in which computers randomly generate landline and cellphone numbers, which pollsters then call.

A total of 1,103 valid responses were collected.

For landlines, 425 valid responses were received out of 865 households identified as having an eligible voter residing there. The response rate was 49 percent.

For cellphones, 678 valid responses were tallied out of 1,677 cases in which an eligible voter was called. The response rate was 40 percent.

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