Japan summer tourism season sees shift from China-driven demand
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan is expecting its heavy dependence on Chinese tourists to lessen this summer travel season, counting on visitors from other Asia
Japan anticipates a shift away from its heavy reliance on Chinese tourists during the upcoming summer travel season, as worsening diplomatic relations with China dampen expectations for Chinese demand. Chinese visitor numbers plummeted by 56.4 percent in the first half of 2025 compared to the previous year, following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's controversial remarks on potential responses to a Taiwan crisis. In response, China advised its citizens against traveling to Japan and escalated economic pressure.
Despite this decline, Japan still welcomed an estimated 21.08 million foreign visitors from January to June 2025, a 2.0 percent decrease from the record-setting period of 2024. A weak yen, steady growth in visitors from countries such as South Korea, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the United States helped offset the loss of Chinese tourists. Spending by foreign visitors on accommodation and shopping surged by 1.3 percent to 4.85 trillion yen, reaching a new record high for the first half of the year.
Ryo Nishikawa, a tourism policy expert, notes that diversification of visitors is progressing, with tourism maintaining its momentum without solely depending on China. However, cancellations by European visitors after heightened tensions in the Middle East only accounted for a small percentage of total foreign visitors.
In Fukuoka Prefecture, around 90 percent of foreign visitors to the Dazaifu Tenmangu Shinto shrine come from South Korea and Taiwan, indicating a continued preference for these regions. Despite the buoyant inbound tourism, Japanese domestic travel has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels. Only 6.94 million Japanese travelers went overseas in the first half of 2025, a decrease of 8.8 percent compared to the same period in 2024.
The Japanese government plans to further encourage overseas travel by reducing passport application fees from July, but the sluggish recovery in demand for international trips may pose challenges for regional airports and threaten the survival of existing international flights.
Written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
