Tokyo, Mar. 17, 2021, SPA -- The estimated number of foreign visitors to Japan in February fell 99.3 percent from a year earlier to 7,400 due to reintroduced travel restrictions on business travellers amid a surge in coronavirus cases, Kyodo quoted government data as showing today, on Wednesday. The figure marked the 17th consecutive month of decline and sank under 10,000 for the first time since August last year, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. Visitors from China totalled 1,700, down 98.1 percent. Those from South Korea dropped 99.4 percent to 900, with India down 90.9 percent at 600. Japan had partially eased entrance restrictions on people visiting the country for business purposes or long-term stays from last summer. But following the Japanese government's declaration of a state of emergency in January for the Tokyo metropolitan area, which was later expanded to other parts of the country, the entry of foreign travellers has basically been banned. Data also showed that 24,800 Japanese nationals left the country last month, down 98.1 percent from a year before. --SPA 22:05 LOCAL TIME 19:05 GMT 0029 www.spa.gov.sa/w1526601