A commercial street in Sapporo city, Hokkaido, Japan Photo: VCG

The number of Chinese mainland visitors to Japan fell 56.8 percent year-on-year in April, marking a fifth month of decline in a row, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Wednesday, citing data released by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). 

During the first four months of this year, the number of Chinese mainland visitors to Japan dropped 55.1 percent compared with the same period last year, the data show. 

Since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made erroneous remarks on Taiwan, the number of Chinese mainland visitors to Japan has continued to decline, straining multiple sectors including retail, hotel and restaurant, CCTV reported. 

The JNTO data also show that, apart from the Chinese mainland, the number of visitors to Japan from Europe and the Middle East has declined significantly. Due to the situation in the Middle East, several flight routes have been reduced and airfares increased, leading to a 21.4 percent year-on-year drop in visitors from the region. 
Meanwhile, among major European countries, visitors from Italy, Spain and Germany fell 34.2 percent, 21.6 percent and 15.2 percent year-on-year, respectively, according to CCTV.

Moreover, recent financial reports from multiple Japanese companies indicate that falling Chinese tourist numbers have significantly hit Japan’s duty-free sector. In the 2025 fiscal year from April 2025 to March 2026, overall duty-free sales at three department stores in Fukuoka city fell 20 percent year-on-year. Among them, Hakata Daimaru Department Store’s duty-free sales dropped 39 percent, resulting in a financial loss, per CCTV. 

Since Takaichi made erroneous remarks on Taiwan, Japan’s tourism sector has cooled and is yet to show signs of recovery, although the official data has not tracked this trend, an employee surnamed Yu from Shanghai Airlines Tours International (Group) Co, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

“As a tourist myself I don’t want to travel to Japan and neither do my friends,” Yu said.