TOKYO - Japan began introducing new bilingual traffic signs Saturday amid an increase in the number of foreign visitors ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

Some 35,000 of 140,000 stop signs in the capital will be replaced by the opening of the Games with new ones with English translations beneath Japanese words in areas including where Olympic venues will be located, the Metropolitan Police Department said.

Along with the new stop signs, slowdown signs with English translation will also be introduced.

There are roughly 1.7 million stop signs and 1,000 slowdown signs in Japan, according to the National Police Agency.

In 2016, the number of foreign visitors to Japan hit a record 24 million. Against this backdrop, the agency has decided to change the signs to make them easier to understand for foreign travelers.

Priority is likely to be given to new signs in tourist destinations as well as areas around airports where many foreign visitors rent cars.

==Kyodo