40 Million Foreign Visitors to Japan

Number of foreign visitors to Japan recorded new high in 2025. Those visitors spent their money as consumers, contributing to economic growth of Japan. However, the travelers from China reduced in December, right after Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made a careless speech on Taiwan contingency last November. Increase of foreign travelers cannot be taken for granted with China’s decision against Japan.

Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and tourism, Yasuyuki Kaneko announced late January that estimated number of foreign visitors to Japan in 2025 was 42.7 million, exceeding 40 million for the first time. It was far beyond the previous record in 2024, which was 36.8 million.

 

The interim estimation of consumption of foreign visitors in 2025 marked 9.5 trillion yen, renewing the previous record of 8.1 trillion yen in 2024. The consumption included cost for accommodation and shopping. There was no example of consumption beyond 9 trillion yen previously.

 

It is estimated that travelers from various countries, including Asia and Europe, contributed to new record. Historical depreciation of Japanese yen was another reason for record high of consumption. Japanese government is going to strategically promote tourism to Japan, considering further increase of foreign tourists.

 

Foreign visitor to Japan has been increasing there years. While it exceeded 10 million in 2013, it went beyond 20 million in 2016 and 30 million 2018. Although it declined with COVID-19, it resurged to 30 million in 2024. Japanese government aims at 60 million of foreign visitors in 2030, whose consumption is expected to be annual 15 trillion yen.

 

Foreign travelers can be seen everywhere in Japan recent years. Foreign people with big and heavy luggage move onboard morning trains which are crowded with business people. Some famous sightseeing places are occupied by unacceptable number of tourists, threatening peaceful life of local residents. Those over-tourisms have become a major problem in Japan, encouraging populist parties to uphold xenophobic policies in election campaign.

 

It is notable that visitors from China in December 2025, which was 330 thousand, declined by 45 percent from the same month of the previous year. Chinese government recommended Chinese citizens not to visit Japan, concerning Takaichi’s comment on Taiwan contingency, in which she recognized that use of force against Taiwan might consist “survival-threatening situation” that meant Japan’s use of force based on its right of collective self-defense. Travel agencies in China refunded to their customers of their cost for cancelled travel.

 

The share of Chinese travelers occupies 20 to 30 percent of all. Some hotels or restaurants in Japan lost sales by 40 percent in December. Japan cannot have any optimistic perspective for resumption of mass consumers from China. Economy of Japan, which depends on foreign travelers, has a vulnerability to political dispute in currently volatile international environment with a lot of conflicts or dispute over tariffs.

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