Chinese tourists shun Japan over lunar new year holiday as rift deepens

"South Korea is expected to become the most popular overseas destination for Chinese travellers during the 40-day travel frenzy, with an estimated 250,000 expected to visit, up 1.5 times from the previous year. Japan will welcome fewer people from China than other countries in the region, including Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and Russia, according to media reports. Instead, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Japan during the lunar new year holidays is expected to fall by up to 60% from the previous year."

"The trend looks set to continue, months after Japan's prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, suggested her country's self-defence forces could be deployed if China attempted to invade Taiwan. China claims the self-governing democracy as part of its own territory and has vowed to unite it with the mainland, by force if necessary. Takaichi's remarks led to an angry response in China, where officials urged tourists and students not to travel to Japan."

"The dispute over Taiwan has intensified since Takaichi told MPs in November that military involvement was an option if a crisis in the Taiwan Strait posed an existential threat to Japan. Her refusal to back down has invited more criticism from China, including its foreign minister, Wang Yi, who this week accused Takaichi of trying to revive Japan's militarist past."

Chinese tourism to Japan has fallen sharply, with visitor numbers almost halving in December compared with the same period in 2025. Diplomatic tensions over Taiwan following remarks by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi about possible deployment of self-defence forces have provoked an angry response in China and official calls for tourists and students to avoid Japan. Lunar New Year travel is shifting toward neighboring countries, with South Korea expected to receive about 250,000 Chinese visitors and other destinations such as Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and Russia outpacing Japan. Chinese arrivals to Japan during the holidays are forecast to drop by up to 60%.

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