△Japanese Government Tourism Bureau logo (data map)
Data released by the Japanese Government Tourism Bureau on the 20th showed that the number of tourists from mainland China to Japan fell by 56.8% year-on-year in April, the fifth consecutive month of year-on-year decline. In the first four months of this year, the number of tourists from mainland China to Japan dropped by 55.1% year-on-year.
Since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made erroneous remarks about Taiwan, the number of tourists from mainland China to Japan has continued to decline, putting pressure on Japan’s retail, accommodation, catering and other industries.
In addition to mainland China, the number of tourists visiting Japan from Europe and the Middle East has also decreased significantly. Affected by the delays in the situation in the Middle East, flights on many routes have been reduced and air ticket prices have increased. Tourists from the Middle East fell by 21.4% year-on-year. Among major European countries, tourists from Italy, Spain, and Germany dropped by 34.2%, 21.6%, and 15.2% year-on-year respectively.
Many Japanese companies recently released financial reports showing that duty-free sales are under significant pressure due to the decrease in Chinese tourists. In fiscal year 2025 (April 2025 to March 2026), the overall duty-free sales of the three department stores in Fukuoka City fell by 20% year-on-year. Among them, the duty-free sales of Hakata Daimaru Department Store fell by 39%, thus falling into a loss.
