China Rift Could Lead to Drop in Japan’s Visitor Numbers

Many Chinese Visitors Since 2024

Following Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s November 7 comment suggesting Japan’s potential military involvement in the case of a Taiwan contingency, on November 14 China’s foreign ministry called on its citizens not to visit Japan.

This could have a significant effect as Chinese tourists make up a considerable proportion of international visitors to Japan. Chinese tourism to Japan bounced back in 2024 after the easing of COVID-19 restrictions. In 2024, there were nearly 7 million Chinese visitors, who spent ¥1.7 trillion. The number of Chinese visitors for January to October 2025 rose further, up 40.7% year on year to 8.2 million, or more than the total for the whole of the previous year.

Chinese visitor spending from January to September accounted for 24% of the total for all international visitors, at ¥1.6 trillion.

Data Sources

• Data on international visitor spending (Japanese) from the Japan Tourism Agency.
• Data on October 2025 visitor numbers (Japanese) from the Japan National Tourism Organization.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © PhotoAC.)