Total visitors to Japan declined 3.6 percent in May even as arrivals from South Korea, Taiwan and the United States reached record levels for the month.
Japan recorded fewer overall visitors in May than in the same month a year earlier.
Arrivals from South Korea, Taiwan and the United States each set new highs for May.
The figures were published on June 17.
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South Korea lost 40,000 jobs in May from a year earlier, marking the first decline in 17 months amid the impact of the prolonged Middle East conflict on the manufacturing sector.
Japan recorded a 5.5% drop in visitors during April. Arrivals from eight Middle East nations fell sharply by 21.4% to 22,300 amid flight cancellations and reductions.
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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.
Beijing received 18.83 million tourist visits during the five-day May Day holiday, marking a 5.1 percent increase from the previous year. Total tourism revenue reached 22.36 billion yuan, up 6.6 percent year on year.
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South Korean visitors to China have surged following the extension of a unilateral visa-free policy allowing 30-day stays, reaching 3.16 million in 2025, up 36.9 percent from 2024. Dubbed a 'Korean v-blogger influx,' content creators are documenting mainland life, with one saying, 'the window has opened and everyone wants to take a look inside.' January saw over 300,000 arrivals, up 48 percent year-on-year.