Overview

• Arrivals rose 21% year-on-year to 21.5 million in the first half of 2025, topping the previous six-month record of 17.78 million.
• June saw 3.4 million visitors, marking the busiest month ever as school-holiday travel peaked.
• Foreign visitor spending hit about ¥2.5 trillion in Q2, with Chinese tourists accounting for ¥516 billion of that total.
• South Korea, China and Taiwan remained the top source markets, while Hong Kong arrivals plunged 33% after widespread quake rumors.
• Authorities plan new visitor-dispersal measures to ease overcrowding in hotspots like Kyoto and pursue a 60 million annual arrival target by 2030.