The monthly number of foreign visitors to Japan hit a record high in January, partly reflecting travel demand from China and other parts of Asia during the Lunar New Year holiday period, a Japan National Tourism Organization report showed Wednesday.
The number of inbound visitors is estimated to have risen 40.6% from a year before to 3,781,200, exceeding 3 million for the fourth consecutive month and surpassing the previous record high of 3,489,800 marked in December 2024.
By country or region, the number of visitors from mainland China jumped 2.4 times to 980,300, in a belated recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The figure for China was the third highest after 1,050,420 in July 2019 and 1,000,639 in August 2019, both before the pandemic.
Demand for travel to Japan among Chinese people has “strong momentum,” Naoya Haraikawa, commissioner of the Japan Tourism Agency, said at a news conference.
The number of Chinese visitors was also boosted by an increase in the number of flights to Japan, including those to regional areas of the country.
Visitors from South Korea came in second, totaling 967,100, up 12.8%, followed by 593,400 visitors from Taiwan, up 20.5%.
Visitors from Australia and the United States also increased, especially those hoping to enjoy winter sports in Japan. The monthly number of visitors from Australia rose 35.3% to a record high of 140,200. Visitors from the United States totaled 182,500, up 38.4%.
