Japan welcomed about 21.1 million international visitors during the first six months of 2026, a 2.0% decline from the record first half of 2025, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO).
It marks the first year-over-year decline in first-half arrivals since the pandemic recovery began. However, Japan still surpassed the 20-million-visitor mark for the second consecutive year, underlining the continued strength of demand from most overseas markets.
The biggest drag on inbound tourism remained mainland China. Visitor arrivals from China plunged 56.4% year over year to 2.06 million, as Beijing continues urging its citizens to avoid travel to Japan.
Excluding China, Japan with record visitors’ number
Without mainland Chinese travelers, Japan received 19.04 million visitors during the January-June period. That compares with 18.38 million visitors from all other markets in the first half of 2025. This represents an increase of 3.6% year over year.
The figures suggest Japan’s broader international tourism market continues to expand despite the sharp contraction from China.
South Korea remained Japan’s largest inbound market, with 5.7 million visitors, an increase of 18.6% from a year earlier.
Taiwan also posted strong growth, sending about 4 million visitors, up 20.9%, reflecting continued demand for leisure travel to Japan.
Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, North America and Europe also continued to expand, helping offset the sharp fall in Chinese visitors. For example, both Indonesia and Malaysia generated double-digit growth of respectively 13% and 14.6% from January to June; Middle East travelers were up 10.7%, France by 8.4%, Germany by 7.5% and the UK by 5.7%. U.S. arrivals were also up by 7.1%, while Mexico set an absolute record with total arrivals growing by 29.2%.
In the meantime, June arrivals reflected the changing market mix. Japan welcomed an estimated 3.15 million visitors during the month, down 6.8% year over year and marking the third consecutive monthly decline.
Chinese arrivals fell for a seventh straight month, while South Korea and Taiwan both recorded their strongest-ever June visitor totals.
Despite fewer overall arrivals, tourism spending remained resilient. The Japan Tourism Agency reported that foreign visitors spent approximately ¥2.5 trillion (about US$16.9 billion) during the April-June quarter, up 0.2% from a year earlier.
Average spending per visitor climbed 3.3% to a record ¥244,457 (about US$1,650) per traveler, indicating visitors are staying longer, spending more, or both.
Full-year outlook remains strong
Hotel operator Mori Trust expects Japan to welcome between 40.5 million and 42 million international visitors in 2026, slightly below the record 42.68 million recorded in 2025.
The company says hotel bookings remain strong for both the summer and autumn travel seasons, despite higher airline fuel surcharges linked to tensions in the Middle East.
Talking to the newspaper Japan Times, Mori Trust President and CEO Miwako Date said booking demand has remained resilient.
“Reservations are unlikely to decrease drastically,” Date said, adding that the weak yen continues to provide a significant boost to inbound travel demand.
Japan’s tourism sector remains in fact on track for another historically strong year in 2026, even if it falls short of last year’s all-time arrival record.
