Japan received about 7,334,000 foreign visitors in 2006, setting a new record, the Japan National Tourist Organization said in a report on Friday.

The number of visitors increased by 9 percent from the previous year and it was the first time for the number to exceed 7 million, the report said.

Tourists from Asian countries strongly increased in 2006, the tourism promotion organization said, adding that South Koreans accounted for 28.9 percent of all foreign visitors in the year.

The organization attributed the increase of Chinese visitors asa result of an easing in rules on group tourist visas for Chinese nationals.