Tokyo, Nov. 15 (Jiji Press) — The total number of visitors to Japan in 2017 is expected to top 28 million, marking a record high for the fifth consecutive year, Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Akihiko Tamura said Wednesday.

According to the agency, the estimated number of visitors to the country rose by 21.5 pct from a year earlier to 2,595,200 in October and by 18.3 pct to 23,791,500 in January-October.

The growth is due partly to increased international flights by low-cost carriers.

The agency said that last year’s total visitor number of 24,039,700 was surpassed on Nov. 4.

In January-October, visitors from mainland China topped the region-by-region list at 6.22 million, up 12.9 pct, and those from South Korea came second at 5.83 million, up 40 pct.