Japanese Media: Japanese Tourists to China Have Dropped Significantly, Dealing a Major Blow to China's Economy!
Japan's Kyodo News Agency recently published a report titled "Sharp Decline in Japanese Travelers to China, Facing a 'Triple Blow' of Cancellations and Reduced Flights." The report states that since November 2025, the Japanese tourism market targeting China has suffered noticeable setbacks. Multiple Japanese travel agencies revealed a sharp increase in cancellations for China-bound tours, compounded by ongoing flight reductions on Sino-Japanese routes, leading to a drop of 70% to 90% in Japanese visitors to China compared to the same period last year.
A senior executive from a major Japanese travel agency directly stated, "The surge in cancellations combined with reduced Japanese flights has led to a 90% decline in Japanese tourists." Some travel agencies in Shanghai reported that over half of their group bookings from Japan had been canceled. The report also highlights that the industry is now facing a "triple pressure": insufficient seating due to reduced flights, declining popularity of Chinese travel, and rising fuel costs driven by worsening Middle East tensions.
Data seems to support this trend. Japanese tourist numbers have indeed seen a significant decline. According to the report, Japanese arrivals to China in 2025 had only just recovered to about half of pre-pandemic 2019 levels, a rebound that was abruptly halted by the rapid deterioration of Sino-Japanese relations. After the incident, Japanese tourists in Shanghai dropped by 70% compared to the previous year.
However, when viewed within a broader context, changes in Japanese tourism must be assessed against the overall landscape of China’s inbound tourism. While Japanese visitors are indeed decreasing, this does not represent the full picture of China’s inbound tourism. According to the National Bureau of Statistics’ "Statistical Bulletin on National Economic and Social Development in 2025," total inbound tourist arrivals in China reached 154.5 million in 2025, up 17.1% year-on-year, including 35.17 million foreign visitors. Inbound tourism consumption (foreign exchange earnings) amounted to $131.1 billion, a 39.2% increase compared to the previous year.
The overall inbound tourism market continues to grow steadily. A decline in the Japanese market, when viewed in this scale, hardly constitutes a "heavy blow" to China’s economy.
Yet, this Kyodo News article gives the impression that Japanese society is, to some extent, trapped in an illusion—that China desperately needs Japanese tourists, and that the economy would collapse if they stopped coming. This is clearly not true. China’s inbound tourism as a whole is growing, foreign exchange income has surpassed the $130 billion threshold, and international tourists from other regions are stepping in to fill the gap left by the Japanese market.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866703206523911/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.