Japan Records 3.1 Million August Visitors as China Slump Outweighs Growth in Other Markets

Record arrivals from 14 markets cannot prevent a decline

Japan received an estimated 3,098,900 international visitors in August 2026, down 9.6% from August 2025, as a sharp fall in arrivals from China outweighed gains across much of its tourism market. Despite the national decline, 14 countries and regions recorded their highest August totals, while Italy and Spain set records for any month.

The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) published its September arrivals report on September 16. South Korea led with 850,500 arrivals, followed by Taiwan with 666,000 and China with 418,000. Hong Kong contributed 247,300 visitors and the United States 197,400.

The contrast between those markets explains the headline result. South Korean arrivals rose 28.7%, Taiwan increased 7.3% and Hong Kong gained 9.4%, but arrivals from China fell 59.0%. Japan consequently welcomed 329,506 fewer international visitors than in August 2025, when the total was 3,428,406.

For January through August, arrivals reached 27,626,300, down 2.7% from 28,384,099 a year earlier. That represents a shortfall of 757,799 visits. August's sharper decline followed a small increase in July, interrupting the brief return to growth after decreases in April, May and June. All August and cumulative figures cited here are credited to the Japan National Tourism Organization.

China's shortfall exceeds the national loss

Arrivals from China dropped from 1,018,747 in August 2025 to 418,000 in August 2026, a reduction of 600,747. That loss was substantially larger than Japan's total monthly decline of 329,506.

Subtracting China from both national totals shows that arrivals from all other markets combined increased by 271,241, or approximately 11.3%. In other words, growth elsewhere offset about 45% of the Chinese shortfall, but could not make up the full difference.

JNTO's August market assessment attributes China's decline partly to a Chinese government advisory urging people to avoid travel to Japan. Reduced air services following that advisory also weighed on arrivals. The assessment does not quantify how much of the decline came from the advisory, airline capacity or other factors.

The same pattern is visible across the first eight months. Chinese arrivals fell from 6,711,851 to 2,904,600, a decrease of 3,807,251, or 56.7%. Over that period, arrivals from all other markets combined increased by 3,049,452, approximately 14.1%. Japan's national decline therefore masks substantial expansion outside China.

China accounted for approximately 13.5% of August arrivals, compared with 29.7% a year earlier. This change in the composition of visitors matters alongside the total: growth in other countries has reduced China's share, even though its lost volume remains large enough to pull the national figure lower.

South Korea becomes a larger part of the market

South Korea's 850,500 arrivals were the highest August total since JNTO began compiling the data. Summer school holidays, increased airline capacity and sustained demand supported the increase from 660,917 a year earlier.

From January through August, South Korean arrivals reached 7,420,300, up 21.2% from 6,123,081. The increase of 1,297,219 was greater than the entire national shortfall for the same period, illustrating how strongly South Korea has cushioned the decline elsewhere.

South Korea supplied approximately 26.9% of Japan's international arrivals during the first eight months, compared with 21.6% in the corresponding period of 2025. In August alone, its share was approximately 27.4%, making it comfortably the largest individual market.

Annual South Korean visits rose from 1.01 million in 2022 to 6.95 million in 2023, 8.81 million in 2024 and a record 9.45 million in 2025. The 2026 pace has prompted expectations that visits could pass 10 million for the first time. Reaching that threshold would require another 2,579,700 arrivals between September and December, an average of about 644,925 per month. That is a calculation, not a confirmed forecast.

Repeat trips support travel beyond major cities

The strength of the South Korean market is also associated with repeat travel. Among South Koreans who visited Japan in 2024, 79% had visited before, and 46% had visited Japan at least twice in the preceding year.

Those figures help explain interest in regional destinations alongside Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. JNTO introduced 60 recommended small Japanese cities for the South Korean market in 2025, giving returning travelers a broader selection of places to visit. Travel company Hana Tour said Japan was the destination its customers returned to most often that year.

A weaker yen has also reduced costs for some travelers. A later Bank of Korea exchange rate snapshot, dated October 8, put the rate at 846.35 won per 100 yen, compared with 922.23 won at the end of 2025. Buying the same amount of yen therefore required approximately 8.2% fewer won.

That October comparison is separate from the August arrivals period and does not establish the exchange rate faced by every summer traveler. It does, however, provide a concrete example of the currency advantage associated with continued demand. Arrival numbers alone cannot show whether visitors spent more, stayed longer or distributed their spending more widely across Japan.

Taiwan and Hong Kong add substantial volume

Taiwan remained Japan's second largest source of visitors in August, with 666,000 arrivals, up from 620,753 in August 2025. Hong Kong rose from 226,069 to 247,300. Both markets set August records.

Across January through August, Taiwan supplied 5,402,000 visitors, an increase of 19.8% from 4,509,729. Hong Kong contributed 1,818,300, up 8.7% from 1,673,144. Taiwan's cumulative gain of 892,271 was another major counterweight to the decline from China.

South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong together supplied 1,763,800 arrivals in August, approximately 56.9% of the national total. A year earlier, their combined 1,507,739 arrivals represented approximately 44.0%. Their rising share reflects both their own growth and the contraction in Chinese arrivals.

JNTO linked strong summer demand across several markets to school vacations and public holidays. The results nevertheless varied by country: a favorable holiday period did not guarantee growth where flight availability, cancellations or competing destinations worked in the other direction.

European records coexist with declines elsewhere

Italy recorded 47,300 arrivals, up 15.1%, while Spain reached 36,500, up 14.1%. Both figures were records for any month, supported by the holiday season and increased flight services.

France also set an August record, with 40,300 arrivals, up 8.4%. Russia increased 10.4% to 14,400, and the Nordic countries rose 3.9% to 9,400. JNTO groups Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland together under that Nordic category.

The European picture was not uniformly positive. Germany fell 5.5% to 33,700 arrivals, while the United Kingdom edged down 0.2% to 36,600. Both still recorded gains over January through August: Germany rose 5.6% to 281,500, and the United Kingdom increased 5.8% to 364,800.

Longer flight times caused by route changes linked to the war in Ukraine were identified as a potential deterrent to European travel. Yet Italy and Spain's records demonstrate why that factor should not be treated as a complete explanation for the region. Holiday demand and additional services supported growth in some markets despite the broader travel constraints.

Mexico leads growth as other markets diverge

Mexico posted the largest August growth rate among the listed markets, rising 37.0% from 13,575 to 18,600 arrivals. Its January through August total reached 151,300, up 28.0%. The percentage increase was strong, although its absolute August gain of 5,025 was much smaller than South Korea's increase of 189,583.

The United States set an August record with 197,400 visitors, up 1.5%, and recorded 2,305,300 arrivals over the first eight months, up 6.1%. Canada fell 1.8% in August to 50,600 but remained 7.0% higher for the cumulative period at 469,600.

Arrivals from the Middle East increased 24.8% to 22,900 in August, another monthly record. JNTO's category covers Israel, Türkiye and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. The cumulative total increased 16.3% to 179,300.

Australia moved in the opposite direction during August, falling 7.4% to 38,200, even though its first eight months remained 3.4% above 2025 at 681,200. Separately, 1.59 million Japanese people traveled overseas in August, down 3.6%. That outbound figure measures a different travel flow and should not be combined with international arrivals to Japan.

Southeast Asian declines reflect flights and holiday timing

Thailand recorded 32,200 arrivals in August, down 9.3%; the Philippines fell 11.6% to 39,100; and Vietnam declined 7.5% to 56,600. JNTO identified quieter seasonal demand, reduced flights and typhoon cancellations as factors affecting parts of Southeast Asia.

Thailand also faced a comparison with a four day holiday period in the previous August. JNTO cited reduced flights and the continued popularity of travel to China as additional factors. The comparison shows how a change in holiday timing can affect a monthly result without necessarily indicating a sustained contraction.

All three markets were still ahead over January through August. Thailand rose 3.4% to 790,500, the Philippines increased 3.5% to 558,500, and Vietnam grew 5.4% to 505,300.

Other Asian markets set August records. Malaysia rose 23.0% to 26,000, Indonesia increased 3.4% to 32,500, and India gained 4.7% to 19,500. Singapore increased 5.3% to 21,600. These differing results reinforce the need to examine individual markets rather than treating Asia as a single travel trend.

How to read the figures and the timeline

The August result followed several changes in direction. A monthly statistics page published on September 16 lists July arrivals at 3,442,100, up 0.1% from July 2025. August's total was 343,200 lower than July's, but that monthly comparison is separate from the reported annual decline and can reflect seasonal differences.

• March 2026: Japan formulated its Fifth Basic Tourism Nation Promotion Plan.
• April through June 2026: International arrivals declined from the corresponding months of 2025.
• July 2026: Arrivals reached an estimated 3,442,100, up 0.1% from a year earlier.
• August 2026: Arrivals fell 9.6% to 3,098,900, despite August records in 14 markets.
• September 16, 2026: JNTO released its August estimates and market assessment.

The statistical status of the comparison figures differs between publications. JNTO's September arrivals report labels the 2025 figures definitive and the 2026 figures preliminary estimates. The monthly statistics page instead labels January 2025 through May 2026 provisional, with estimates from June 2026 onward. The calculations in this article use the figures and status stated in JNTO's September report.

Visitor arrivals are not a count of unique holidaymakers. JNTO includes international students, expatriates and their families, certain transit entries, port calls and cruise tourists. It excludes crew members and permanent residents whose primary residence is Japan. Repeat visits can therefore contribute multiple arrivals, and the totals do not measure tourism spending.

The estimates may be revised. No dated next release, timetable for final figures or quantified outlook for the rest of 2026 is specified. The data also do not establish how much revenue was lost from fewer Chinese visitors or how fully growth elsewhere replaced that spending.

Key Points

• Japan recorded 3,098,900 international arrivals in August 2026, down 9.6% from August 2025.
• China's arrivals fell by 600,747, while all other markets combined added 271,241 visits.
• South Korea led with 850,500 August arrivals and 7,420,300 over January through August.
• Fourteen markets set August records; Italy and Spain recorded their highest totals for any month.
• The first eight months produced 27,626,300 arrivals, down 2.7%, or 757,799 visits.
• The 2026 figures are preliminary estimates and do not measure unique travelers or visitor spending.