Japan Welcomes Record 42.7 Million International Visitors in 2025

A record 42.7 million international visitors came to Japan in 2025, which was a more than 15.8% increase on the previous high of 36.9 million in 2024, and the first time for the figure announced by the Japan National Tourism Organization to surpass 40 million. It was also around 10 million greater than the prepandemic 2019 total of 31.9 million. Tourists flocked to the country especially at peak times, such as for viewing cherry blossoms and autumn foliage, and to enjoy high-quality winter snow.

The weak yen has become a major incentive for many travelers to visit Japan. While in 2019, the exchange rate was around ¥110 to the US dollar, through 2025 it remained roughly around ¥150, making Japan a relatively inexpensive destination, despite price rises in yen terms. Visitor spending also hit a new record of ¥9.5 trillion.

By country or region, the largest number of visitors came from South Korea, at 9.5 million (up 7.3%), followed by China at 9.1 million (up 30.3%), Taiwan at 6.8 million (up 11.9%), and the United States at 3.3 million (up 21.4%).

It was not all smooth sailing, however. Figures for Chinese tourists were high until November, but Prime Minister Takaichi’s comments that month regarding a Taiwan contingency led the Chinese government to call on its citizens not to visit Japan. The number of Chinese visitors plummeted in December, down 45% on the same month in 2024.

Meanwhile, online rumors of a future earthquake led to a major drop-off in visitors from Hong Kong in the first half of the year. The annual total for Hong Kong was down 6.2% year on year, representing the only decrease in 2025 for the 23 countries and regions that are Japan’s major tourist markets.

The government has set targets of 60 million international visitors and visitor spending of ¥15 trillion in 2030.

Data Sources

• Preliminary data on visitors to Japan in 2025 (Japanese) from the Japan National Tourism Organization.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: Osaka’s Kuromon Market is popular with international visitors. Photograph taken in May 2025. © Jiji.)