Chinese tourist arrivals to Japan lose momentum amid simmering tensions

The growth rate of Chinese tourists to Japan significantly slowed in November, according to official data released by Tokyo, as Beijing cut flights and issued travel warnings amid rising tensions with Japan over Taiwan.

According to the latest report released by the Japan National Tourism Organization on Wednesday, although Chinese tourists continued to visit Japan in November and the numbers kept growing, it was at a much slower pace than before, both year on year and month on month.

In November 2025, the number of mainland Chinese visitors to Japan stood at 562,600, just a 3 per cent year-on-year increase compared to November the previous year. This contrasts sharply with the 111 per cent year-on-year growth recorded during the same period the previous year.

Despite flight cuts caused by political tensions, airline seat capacity remained higher compared to the same period last year, which partly contributed to the increase in visitors, the JNTO said in its monthly report.

Japan also documented a significant decline in mainland tourists in November compared with the preceding two months.

In October, 715,700 mainland Chinese tourists travelled to Japan, marking a 22.8 per cent year-on-year increase; in September, this figure was 775,500, reflecting an 18.9 per cent year-on-year rise.

South China Morning Post