According to data from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), overall foreign arrivals in the first six months numbered 21 million, down 2% from the same period in 2025.
This marks the first decline during the period after five years of growth, excluding the pandemic period from 2020 to 2022.
In January, the Chinese government issued an advisory urging its citizens to limit travel to Japan following heightened bilateral tensions over comments made by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi regarding Taiwan in November 2025.
China also reduced flights between the two countries.
The sharp pull-back by Chinese has reshaped Japan's tourism landscape, with South Korea and Taiwan overtaking mainland China as the top two source markets.
