In July, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Japan decreased by 56.1% compared to the same period in previous years. This is the eighth consecutive month of decline, with a significant reduction in group tours.
According to the Nanhua Morning Post on August 20th, tensions in Sino-Japanese relations have escalated, leading to a significant increase in the cost of traveling to Japan. In particular, visa fees have risen sharply, resulting in a prolonged decline in tourism from the Chinese mainland to Japan over the past few months.
China has always been a major source of tourists for Japan. However, according to data released by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) on August 19th, the number of tourists from China in July was only 428,200, a sharp drop of 56.1% compared to previous years. This continues the downward trend that has been observed since December 2025.
According to JNTO statistics, despite the continuous decline in visitors from mainland China, due to strong demand from South Korea, Taiwan, and Europe, the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan in July reached 3.4421 million, a 0.1% increase compared to the same period last year. This is an increase after three months. In the first seven months of 2026, the number of visitors from mainland China decreased by 56.3%, and the total number of inbound tourists also fell by 1.7%.
The Nanhua Morning Post believes that in November last year, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan made incorrect remarks regarding the Taiwan issue, which led to a sharp decline in Sino-Japanese relations. As a result, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Japan began to rapidly decrease.
Reports quote tourism professionals as saying that the collapse of group tours is the main reason for the market decline. Due to a sharp reduction in the number of flights, the prices of round-trip tickets to China have risen, which has also deterred some tourists.
Cost pressures also come from the rising visa fees. Since July 1st this year, the Japanese government has increased the visa application fees for foreign tourists visiting Japan by a factor of five. This is the first adjustment since 1978. According to the website of the Japanese Embassy in China, after the adjustment, the fee for a single-entry visa has increased from 3,000 yen to 15,000 yen, and the fee for multiple-entry visas has increased from 6,000 yen to 30,000 yen.
Industry insiders say that for leisure tourists who don’t travel abroad frequently, paying over 800 RMB for a single-entry visa seems unwise. In practice, tourists need to apply through agencies designated by the Japanese Embassy in China or travel agencies, and usually also have to pay additional agency fees.
In addition, over the past period of time, due to malicious remarks or incidents by Japanese politicians and social figures targeting China and its people, coupled with frequent incidents of serious harm or disasters in Japan, China has issued travel warnings multiple times. Major airlines have also significantly reduced direct flights to China.
According to data from aviation data provider Flight Master, in July, flights from the Chinese mainland ranked fifth among destinations in Japan, behind South Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong China, and Malaysia. The capacity of this route only returned to 46.5% of the level in 2019.
