According to a Japanese economic news report, the Japanese Ministry of Finance announced statistics for May on July 8. The decrease in visits from Japanese tourists was reflected in a deficit in service receipts.
Japan continues to rely on a surplus in tourism revenues to offset its net payments to overseas IT services, resulting in a deficit. In May, the tourism revenue was a surplus of 527.9 billion yen, a decrease of 16.9% compared to previous years.
According to statistics from the Japan National Tourism Agency, the number of tourists visiting Japan in May decreased by 3.6%, reaching 3.55 million. The number of visitors coming from China decreased by 60%, reaching 310,000.
Affected by this, Japan's service receipts in May were a deficit of 10.3 billion yen. This marked a shift from a surplus of 130.9 billion yen in May 2025 to a deficit.
Since Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga made incorrect remarks regarding Taiwan, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Japan has continued to decline, putting pressure on various industries in Japan such as retail, accommodation, and dining.
According to data released by the Japanese government tourism agency on May 20th, tourist visits to Japan have decreased significantly not only from mainland China but also from Europe and the Middle East.
In the first four months of this year, due to the delays in the Middle East situation, many airline routes saw reduced flight schedules and airfares increased. Tourists from the Middle East saw a decrease of 21.4% compared to previous years. Among the major European countries, visits by tourists from Italy, Spain, and Germany to Japan decreased by 34.2%, 21.6%, and 15.2% respectively.
Several Japanese companies have recently released financial reports showing that due to a decrease in Chinese tourists, duty-free sales have been significantly impacted. In the fiscal year 2025 (April 2025 to March 2026), the overall duty-free sales at three department stores in Fukuoka City decreased by 20%. Among them, the duty-free sales at Bokuto Daibu Department Store fell by 39%, resulting in a loss for the store.
