Chinese tourism to Japan almost halved in December amid a bitter diplomatic row between Beijing and Tokyo over the security of Taiwan. Chinese tourism started falling towards the end of last year after Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, suggested her country could become militarily involved if China attempted to invade Taiwan. Chinese tourists to Japan spent a combined $3.7bn in the third quarter of last year. Each Chinese tourist spent on average 22% more than other visitors last year, according to the Japan National Tourism Organisation. “While the number of Chinese tourists in December decreased, we attracted a sufficient number of people from many other countries and regions to offset that,” he said.

Source: The Guardian January 21, 2026 05:27 UTC