Foreign Visitors to Japan Hit Record High in April

Japan logged its highest-ever December tourist arrivals at 3.6 million in 2025, pushing total arrivals for the year to a historic 42.7 million and above the 40-million mark for the first time. The strong headline figures came despite a sharp 45% plunge in visitors from China in the final month of last year, reflecting heightened diplomatic tensions between the two countries. Arrivals from China fell to around 330,000, accounting for less than 10% of total visitors in December. Until recently, Chinese tourists had been Japan’s largest source market, making up roughly a quarter of all arrivals in the year through end-November.

The number of foreign visitors to Japan surged 28.5% year-on-year in April, reaching a record 3.91 million, according to a preliminary estimate. This strong growth was driven by the popular spring cherry blossom season, which boosted travel demand across many markets, as seen in the previous month. Additionally, increased outbound travel from several Asian countries, Europe, the United States, and Australia around the Easter holidays contributed to the rise. For the first four months of the year, total foreign arrivals reached 14.4 million, marking a 24.5% increase compared to the same period last year.