Japan reported 3.2 million inbound tourists in June 2026, down 6.8 percent year-on-year – the third consecutive month of declines, primarily due to a sharp drop in visitors from China.
Chinese tourist arrivals plummeted 57.3 percent year-on-year to 340,700 – the biggest single market by far, but down for four straight months after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated in parliament that Japan would consider military action if China invaded Taiwan. After her remarks, China reportedly advised its citizens against traveling to Japan and imposed economic penalties on Tokyo.
South Korea was the biggest source market for Japan’s tourism, up 7.8 percent year-on-year in June, with a record monthly arrival of 387,500 visitors. Taiwan also recorded a strong performance, up 14.6 percent, with the United States not far behind at 354,500 tourists, up 2.7 percent – also a June record. Spain saw a surprisingly strong increase of 12.9 percent to 20,500 visitors.
Hong Kong, India and the Middle East also recorded large year-on-year gains, with 28 percent, 26.1 percent and 29.7 percent increases, respectively. The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) reported record inbound tourist arrivals for the month from several other Asian destinations.
However, there were some significant headwinds, as arrivals from Thailand, for example, dropped 7.8 percent year-on-year to 48,000, while the Philippines was down 5.2 percent to 59,900. Germany was also down, by 14.3 percent to 20,500 visitors.
First-Half Totals and Shifting Rankings
For the first half of 2026, Japan recorded just over 21 million international tourists – a 2 percent drop versus the same period last year. Meanwhile, the number of Chinese visitors dropped 56.4 percent year-on-year for the first six months of 2026 – with implications on Japan’s tourism sector, as China has now fallen to third in destination popularity, behind South Korea and Taiwan.
Last year was a record-breaking year for inbound tourism in Japan, with nearly 42.7 million visitors – a 15.8 percent increase versus 2024. The jump saw Japanese authorities taking steps to cool down the tourism boom due to strains on local infrastructure and resources.
As noted, diplomatic tensions with China are impacting the country’s appeal as a destination, but momentum appears to be building in other fronts, including South Korea, Taiwan, the United States and new markets such as India and the Middle East. Analysts will be watching developments closely in coming months, as political tensions ease and the tourism sector looks to recover lost ground versus 2025.
