Immigration translation 1/15

外国からの入国者数、最多に　１０年、中国ビザ緩和影響

Foreigners entering country hit new high in 2010 on eased Chinese visa restrictions

昨年１年間に日本に入国した外国人の数は約９４４万人で、統計を取り始めた１９５０年以降で過去最多を記録したことが、法務省入国管理局の統計で分かった。

Last year, the number of foreigners entering the country hit a record 9.4 million people -- the highest number since records began in 1950, according to Justice Ministry's Immigration Bureau statistics.

同局によると、２００９年は新型インフルエンザの発生や世界的な不況の影響で前年より約１５６万人少ない約７５８万人だった。一転して１０年は中国人向けの個人観光ビザの発給要件が緩和されたことなどで、約１８６万人も増えたという。

According to both agencies, 2009 saw a year-on-year slip in the number of foreigners visiting the country -- a decrease of 1.56 million to 7.58 million -- due to both the spread of swine flu and the effects of the global economic meltdown. In a reversal, visiting Chinese rose roughly 1.86 million over the last 10 years after the government eased rules for tourist visas for citizens of the communist country.

入国者の国・地域別では韓国が最も多く、約２６９万人。次いで中国本土（約１６６万人）、台湾（約１３１万人）、米国（約７６万人）、香港（約４８万人）の順。韓国からの入国者数が、前年より約４６％増えたほか、中国本土からも約３４％増えた。

By country, visitors from South Korea were the most, with approximately 2.69 million tourists. They were followed by visitors from the Chinese mainland (1.66 million), Taiwan (1.31 million), the United States (760,000), and Hong Kong (480,000). Those coming from South Korea rose nearly 46% year on year, with those from the Chinese mainland seeing a 34% rise over the same period.

一方で、中国漁船による沖縄・尖閣諸島沖での衝突事件が発生した９月以降、中国本土と香港からの入国者数は急減。８月に約２５万人だったのが、９月には約１９万人、１０月には約１６万人、１１月には約１１万人に減ったという。

However, visitors from the mainland and from Hong Kong saw a dramatic drop in the wake of an incident near the disputed Senkaku Islands area off Okinawa Prefecture that saw a Chinese fishing vessel crash into Japanese Coast Guard vessels. August saw roughly 250,000 tourists from the mainland and Hong Kong, but that dropped to 190,000 in September, 160,000 in October and again to 110,000 in November.

The Senkaku Islands are claimed by China, Japan and Taiwan, but are administered by Japan.

また、日本人の海外への出国者数も、１０年は約１６６４万人で、前年より約１１９万人増加した。

Japanese traveling abroad also saw an increase in 2010 from the previous year of about 1.19 million travelers to about 16.64 million in total.