Key facts
- Japan's foreign visitor numbers fell 2.7% in the January-August period.
- Chinese tourist arrivals to Japan dropped 60.7% in January 2026 compared to the previous year.
- The decline in Chinese visitors is attributed to political tensions and Chinese government travel advisories.
- South Korea and Taiwan saw significant increases in visitors to Japan in January 2026.
- Japan welcomed a record 42.7 million international visitors in 2025.
Japan's tourism sector is experiencing a slowdown in spending growth due to a significant decrease in visitors from China, according to official data. In January 2026, the number of foreign visitors to Japan fell by 4.9% compared to the same month in 2025, marking the first such decline in four years. This dip was heavily influenced by a 60.7% plunge in tourists from China.
The decrease in Chinese visitors is largely attributed to political tensions that flared after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks in November 2025 concerning a contingency related to Taiwan. The Chinese government has subsequently urged its citizens to avoid travel to Japan, contributing to the decline for the second consecutive month. China's major airlines have also offered free cancellations for flights to Japan through October 24, 2026, suggesting the impact may continue.
Despite the drop in Chinese tourists, overall inbound visitor numbers were partially offset by increases from other regions. South Korea saw the largest number of visitors in January 2026 with 1,176,000, a 21.6% increase from the previous year, followed by Taiwan with 694,500 visitors, up 17.0%. Hong Kong and Malaysia also experienced decreases in visitor numbers.
Japan had previously seen a strong recovery in Chinese tourism spending, driven by a weak yen and pent-up demand. In the first nine months of 2025, nearly 7.5 million Chinese tourists visited Japan, accounting for approximately 24% of all foreign visitors in 2025. While Chinese arrivals in December 2025 fell by 45.3% year-on-year, the sharpest decline occurred in January 2026.