Japan Welcomed Record 42.7M Tourists in 2025 Despite China Dip

Japan’s tourism industry reached a milestone in 2025, welcoming 42.7 million international visitors over the year. This marked the highest annual total ever recorded and exceeded the previous peak of nearly 37 million arrivals in 2024.

This achievement highlights how strongly inbound travel has recovered following the pandemic and confirms the continued strength of global travel demand.

Weak Japanese yen drives growth

One of the key factors behind this surge was the weak Japanese yen, which significantly increased Japan’s appeal to international travelers looking to maximize value for money.

Annual visitor numbers reflected not only strong demand from Asia but also broader growth from long-haul markets such as Europe, the US, and Australia. This diversification reduced reliance on any single source market and helped sustain momentum throughout most of the year.

Diplomatic tensions trigger a sharp decline in Chinese arrivals

Despite the overall record performance, Japan experienced a notable downturn in visitors from China toward the end of the year. In December 2025 alone, arrivals from mainland China fell by approximately 45 percent year over year.

This drop followed heightened diplomatic tensions after public statements by Japanese officials related to regional security and Taiwan. In response, Chinese authorities advised citizens to reconsider travel to Japan, which had an immediate impact on travel behavior.

Political relations shape travel flows globally

Chinese travelers have historically represented one of Japan’s most important and high-spending visitor segments. The sudden decline at the end of 2025 demonstrates how quickly geopolitical developments and public perception can disrupt tourism flows.

Similar dynamics are visible in North America, where political tensions between the US and Canada contributed to a sharp reduction in Canadian travel to the US during 2025. In October alone, around 1.4 million Canadians returned home by car from the US, a drop of 30.5 percent compared with the previous year. Air travel showed a comparable decline, with only 437,300 Canadians flying back, nearly 24 percent fewer than in the same period a year earlier.

Photo by Colton Jones on Unsplash