Chinese visitors to Japan drop for third month running

Chinese tourists visiting Japan declined in February, marking the third consecutive month. Previously the biggest source of tourists to Japan, Chinese travelers have now been overtaken by South Korean visitors.

According to The Japan Times, Chinese tourists have ditched Japan for the third month running. The article, published on March 18, 2026, reports a drop in Chinese visitors in February. Previously, Chinese travelers were the biggest source of tourists to Japan, with South Korean visitors now taking their place. Keywords include tourism, China, South Korea, and China-Japan relations. No specific figures or reasons for the decline are provided in the available details.

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Minister of Culture and Tourism Sun Yeli stated at a news conference on people's livelihood during the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress that China is ramping up efforts to promote the integration of culture and tourism, sharing its landscapes, culture, history, and modern life with global visitors. In 2025, inbound tourist trips exceeded 150 million, up more than 17 percent year-on-year, while spending surpassed $130 billion, an increase of over 40 percent. Authorities will continue improving the full inbound tourism chain to make travel to China easier.

Nearly half of planned flights between China and Japan were cancelled in March, totalling 2,691 flights, as a diplomatic feud between Beijing and Tokyo—sparked by tensions over Taiwan following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments late last year—persists. Only 2,711 flights operated, down sharply from 5,512 the previous year. Chinese tourist arrivals in Japan plunged 55.9% year-on-year to 291,600.

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During the 2026 Lunar New Year holiday from February 15 to 23, Thailand emerged as the top destination for Chinese outbound travelers, attracting about 250,000 visitors, an increase of 60,000 from the previous year. This surge followed flight restrictions and cancellations to Japan, which saw Chinese arrivals drop to 130,000, half the 260,000 from last year. The shift stemmed from ongoing political tensions between China and Japan.

The Japanese government approved its basic tourism promotion plan on March 27, 2026, confirming a target to implement overtourism measures in 100 areas by 2030—building on a January draft. The plan balances resident quality of life with goals of 60 million inbound visitors and 15 trillion yen in spending.

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Japan's child population (aged 0-14) fell by around 350,000 in the latest year to the lowest level since 1950, marking the 45th consecutive annual decline, according to The Japan Times.

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