Universal Studios Japan welcomed almost 15m visitors last year, an increase of 700,000 on the previous year.

The resort, which has seen enormous success since the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in 2014, enjoyed its third record year in a row.

Parent company comcast, who bought a majority stake in universal japan in 2015, is in the process of buying the remaining 49 per cent, in a deal worth over US$2bn.

Comcast has been investing heavily in its theme parks division, with the upcoming Volcano Bay waterpark at its Orlando location, Nintendo-themed areas at all of its parks - opening in Japan by 2020 and set to boost visitor numbers by up to 3m - and a new multi-billion-dollar resort under construction in Beijing.

14.6m visitors attended the park in fiscal 2016.