More Chinese tourists visited Japan last month despite the travel boycott from Beijing.
The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), the country’s tourism board, said on Wednesday (Dec. 17.) that Chinese visitors had increased by 3 per cent to 562,600 in November from the same period last year.
Foreign visitors to Japan increased by 10.4 per cent to 3.52 million in November from a year earlier.
Taiwan is the third largest market for Japan, after South Korea, registering an increase of 11.1% to 542,400 Taiwanese travellers in November.
Nineteen markets recorded their highest-ever numbers of foreign travelers for November, JNTO said.
The tourism board noted that November is the second half of the foliage season. It reported that mountains, lakeside areas, gardens, and temples become particularly popular tourist destinations for people who want to view the vibrant autumn leaves.
It said the year-to-date number of foreign visitors through November totaled 39.1 million, surpassing the full-year record of 36.9 million in 2024.
There was a high demand for travel to Japan, from other countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, the US, Canada, Australia, and Europe.
The US became the fourth largest market for Japan’s tourism, surpassing the 3 million visitor mark on a cumulative basis last month.
Beijing warned Chinese citizens against travelling to Japan after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks in Parliament on Nov. 8 that Japan would take military action in the event of China’s attack on Taiwan to protect its interest.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has claimed Taiwan as its own, although the country has a democratically elected government since its first election was held in 1996.
CCP’s Retaliation Against Japan
The CCP has initiated a number of retaliatory measures against Japan since Takaichi’s remarks.
Japan’s Security Research Commission Chairman Itsunori Onodera said Chinese military J-15 jets’ locking radar twice on Japanese aircraft ASDF F-15 near Japan’s Okinawa island on Dec. 6 could be taken as a “provocation”.
Beijing had blamed Japan, saying Japanese aircraft “repeatedly approached and disrupted” the Chinese naval maritime and airspace training with reportedly 100 takeoffs and landings, and “seriously endangered flight safety.
China also cancelled several Japanese music events held in China including Japanese pop stars like Ayumi Hamasaki and Maki Otsuki.
The CCP has also banned the imports of Japanese seafood, after lifting restrictions earlier in November.
The CCP’s boycott of travel to Japan had sent stocks of Japanese departmental stores and tourism-related companies tumbling after its announcement.
Beijing had also dispatched coast guard ships near waters of Japan-administered Senkaku Islands on Nov. 15.
