The number of foreign passengers using Japan's Narita Airport hit a record high in fiscal 2023, which ended in March.

Narita International Airport Corporation says some 27.44 million people took international flights to and from the airport outside Tokyo last fiscal year.

The figure was about 80 percent of the level in fiscal 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, but more than double that of fiscal 2022.

Foreigners accounted for some 17.89 million of the total, a record.

The increase is attributed to the post-pandemic easing of entry restrictions and the weakening of the yen.

Meanwhile, Japanese passengers on international flights totaled some 6.78 million, about half the figure in fiscal 2019.

Corporation President Tamura Akihiko says the last fiscal year saw full-scale recovery in flight demand. He says a further rebound is expected this fiscal year, but the company faces the challenge of securing personnel for ground handling and other jobs.