FX.co ★ December Record Drives Japan Tourist Arrivals to New Annual High

In December 2025, Japan witnessed a record-breaking influx of tourists, with the month's arrivals reaching 3.6 million. This surge propelled the annual total to an unprecedented 42.7 million visitors, surpassing the 40-million threshold for the first time in history. These robust figures emerged despite a dramatic 45% decline in visitors from China during December, a decline attributed to rising diplomatic tensions between the two nations. In December alone, approximately 330,000 Chinese tourists visited Japan, representing less than 10% of the total incoming visitors. Up until that point, Chinese tourists had been Japan’s largest segment of travelers, accounting for about a quarter of all arrivals in the year leading up to the end of November.