The decline in the number of Chinese visitors to Japan accelerated in January, fuelling the first monthly drop since Covid-19 restrictions were lifted, offering the clearest sign yet of economic fallout from tensions between the countries.
Arrivals from China shrank 61 per cent in January from a year earlier, compared with a 45 per cent decline in December, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) said on Wednesday, citing a shift in the timing of the Lunar New Year holiday and warnings against travel to Japan. The fall dragged down the total number of inbound visitors by 4.9 per cent last month.
The slide was triggered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments late last year that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could be considered an “existential threat”, a characterisation that could give Japan legal justification for deploying troops. Beijing subsequently cautioned its citizens against travelling to Japan, resulting in flight cancellations up to March 2026.
