Japan Data

Japan’s International Visitors Dip in First Half of 2026 Amid China Tensions

Economy Travel

The number of international visitors to Japan from January to June ticked down slightly for the first time since the pandemic, as many Chinese tourists stayed away amid deteriorating bilateral relations.
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Booming Tourism Cools Slightly

International visitors to Japan in the first half of 2026 dipped slightly year on year to 21.1 million, or 2% less than in 2025, based on figures from the Japan National Tourism Organization. It was the first decrease in overseas tourist numbers since the pandemic and came after the Chinese government called on its citizens not to visit Japan in response to comments in November 2025 by Prime Minister Takaichi regarding a Taiwan contingency.

While the number of Chinese visitors plummeted by 56.4% to 2.1 million, the impact was softened by an uptick in visitors from other countries, with Japan seeing sizable increases in travelers from South Korea, up 18.6% to 5.7 million, and Taiwan, up 20.9% to 4.0 million.

June had the largest decline, with the number of visitors falling 6.8% to 3.1 million, marking the third consecutive month of year-on-year drops.

Monthly International Visitors to Japan

Monthly Chinese Visitors to Japan

Data Sources

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: Tourists at Nachi Waterfall in Wakayama Prefecture. © Artur Widak via Reuters Connect.)

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