Japan’s tourism industry experienced a momentous milestone in 2025. Despite the tensions in Japan-China diplomatic relations due to the “Taiwan issue” and Beijing issuing a travel warning to Japan, the number of tourists visiting Japan in November continued to grow robustly, with the projected total for the year expected to surpass 40 million for the first time.
According to the latest data from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), the number of tourists during the peak travel season in 2025 showed significant growth. The total number of visitors in the first 11 months reached 39.07 million, surpassing last year’s total of 36.87 million, breaking historical records.
This growth can be mainly attributed to the increase in the number of tourists from countries such as South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States. The data for November also reflected this trend, with 19 markets including South Korea, Taiwan, and the U.S. recording all-time high numbers of visitors. Aside from the depreciation of the yen, this was largely due to the colorful autumn foliage season that attracted international tourists to travel to Japan.
In contrast to the strong growth seen in other regions, the Chinese market saw a stark contrast. The growth rate of tourists from mainland China in November was only 3.0%, significantly lower compared to the 22.8% growth in October. Apart from the economic slowdown in China, another reason for this turnaround was the strong dissatisfaction expressed by the Chinese government in response to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takamichi’s comments regarding the “Taiwan issue”. Beijing issued a travel advisory on November 14, warning its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan.
Despite the slowdown in the growth of Chinese tourists, the total number of tourists from China during the period from January to November in 2025 remained remarkable, increasing by 37.5% to reach 8.77 million visitors.
According to online travel platform data, while Japan remains one of the top destinations for Chinese tourists, there have been apparent changes in the overall visitor structure and spending habits.
Compared to 2019 when the depreciation of the yen attracted Chinese visitors, the total expenditure by visitors to Japan increased by 43%, but the average spending per Chinese tourist only increased by 30%, much lower than the growth rate of tourists from other countries.
Analysts believe that amid the continuing economic downturn in China, more expensive long-haul destinations such as the U.S. and Europe are no longer the top choices for Chinese travelers. The surge of Chinese tourists to Japan, which previously caused issues of over-tourism for Japanese businesses, slowing down could benefit the long-term health of Japan’s tourism industry.
Tourism analyst Hiroshi Tanaka stated, “In recent years, popular tourist destinations in Japan have reached their capacity limits. The recent slowdown in Chinese tourists, while causing short-term pains for some retailers, provides an opportunity for the transformation of Japan’s tourism industry. We are now seeing Japan shift its focus from sheer ‘visitor numbers’ to enhancing ‘per capita spending’ and ‘tourism quality’, which is ultimately beneficial for Japan’s long-term development.”
Market observers point out that using tourism as a diplomatic tool, China’s actions are in essence counterproductive, creating a situation of “robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
Asian economic commentator Chen Zhiqiang noted, “This is a typical case of self-inflicted sanctions. Within Japan’s tourism industry, from ground operators and private tour guides to bed and breakfast accommodations and restaurants, a high proportion are operated by Chinese entrepreneurs. The ban imposed by China directly impacts the livelihoods of these Chinese entrepreneurs in Japan.”
“More importantly, the profits earned by these Chinese entrepreneurs usually flow back to China for secondary consumption or investment; cutting off travel to Japan means severing this critical channel for foreign exchange and fund inflows, which undoubtedly exacerbates the already sluggish domestic economy in China.”
Despite fluctuations in the Chinese tourist market, the significant increase in visitors from South Korea and Taiwan, by 10% and 11.1% respectively in November, has effectively ensured the overall stability of Japan’s tourism industry. Masaki Murata, the head of the Japan National Tourism Organization, stated that they plan to further develop customer sources from Southeast Asia, North America, and Europe to reduce reliance on a single market.
With the arrival of the December skiing season and festival peak season, Japan is officially entering the “40 million visitors era” without much suspense.
【This article referenced Reuters reports】