TOKYO: Visitors to Japan in July rose to a new post-pandemic high, official data showed on Wednesday, as a weak yen helped to give tourism a boost, contributing to a growth surge in the world's third-largest economy.

The number of foreign visitors for business and leisure was 2.32 million last month, up 12% from June when travellers exceeded 2 million for the first time since January 2000, the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) said.

Arrivals in July were still down 22% from the level in July 2019 before the outbreak of the coronavirus led to strict travel curbs around the world. (Reporting by Rocky Swift; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)