Monthly visitors to Japan hit a record high in March and crossed 3 million for the first time ever, official data showed on Wednesday, as tourists flocked to see its famous cherry blossoms and take advantage of the yen's slide to a three-decade low.

The number of foreign visitors for business and leisure rose to 3.08 million from 2.79 million in February, data from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) showed.

The March figures exceeded the previous high of 2.99 million set in July 2019. Japan welcomed a record 31.9 million visitors that year. (Reporting by Rocky Swift; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)