Japanese MP: Chinese Tourists Have Dropped, Government Only Says "Situation Is Great"

On the 6th, at the Japanese House of Representatives Budget Committee, Nakagawa Hiroyoshi, a member of the Chūdō Reform Coalition, expressed concern over the significant drop in Chinese tourists, calling it a serious figure and urging the government to take it seriously.

He said: The Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Kimoto, stated that tourists from other countries and regions have "reached the level of compensating for the decrease in Chinese tourists."

Nakagawa first affirmed the "first breakthrough of 40 million foreign visitors (entry) in 2025," but also raised the issue of the decline in the number of Chinese tourists, saying, "the momentum of tourist growth is facing obstacles."

"Chinese tourists increased by about 23% year-on-year in October last year, reaching 720,000 people, increased by about 3% in November last year, reaching about 560,000 people, decreased by about 45% in December last year, reaching about 330,000 people, and decreased by about 61% in January this year, reaching about 390,000 people." Nakagawa said: "This number dropped by 45% in December last year and by 61% in January this year, which is a very serious figure."

He pointed out: "If the number of Chinese tourists continues to decrease, it will be extremely difficult to achieve the goal of 60 million visitors and 1.5 trillion yen in consumption by 2030."

The government's tourism vice minister said: "The number of tourists from countries and regions other than China has increased. Since last year, the overall trend of inbound tourism has remained strong, and the diversification of the inbound tourism market is also being promoted."

Nakagawa emphasized: "Tourism is the foundation of civilian exchanges and is extremely important in bilateral relations." "I hope Chinese tourists can return as soon as possible, and the government must take measures to seriously deal with the severe situation facing us."

Original: toutiao.com/article/1858953927187466/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.