Sawt Falasteen - Chinese visitors to Japan plunge 45.2% in February

Previously Chinese travellers were the biggest source of tourists to Japan, contributing to a tourism boom in the land of cherry blossoms and Mount Fuji that was fuelled by a weak yen making shopping cheap.

But in January, South Korea overtook China as the largest contingent and in February they were also the biggest source, with visitors from the country jumping 28.2 percent to 1.1 million.

That compared with 396,400 visitors from mainland China last month, the Japan National Tourism Organization said.

By comparison, 18 countries and regions set new records for the number of their nationals who visited Japan in February -- including South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States, data showed.

"While February is typically the low season for travel to Japan, particularly from Europe, in 2025 the Lunar New Year -- which fell in late January last year -- took place in mid-February," the organisation said.

As a result, "there was increased travel demand timed to the Lunar New Year, especially from East Asia. This led to growth in the number of visitors to Japan from East Asia -- mainly South Korea and Taiwan -- Singapore and the Philippines in Southeast Asia, and the United States and Canada in North America and Oceania."

- China visitors up elsewhere -

Japan-China ties have worsened since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November that Japan might intervene militarily in any Chinese attempt to take Taiwan.

China regards the democratic island as part of its territory and has not ruled out force to annex it, and was furious over the comments.

It summoned Tokyo's ambassador and warned Chinese citizens against visiting Japan.

The number of Chinese visitors to Japan already tumbled 45 percent in December and nose-dived 60.7 percent in January.

Instead, other countries including South Korea saw a jump in the number of Chinese visitors.

In January, 418,703 visited South Korea, up from 364,460 the same month last year, according to the Korea Tourism Organisation.

The number of Chinese visitors to Thailand edged up 4.24 percent on average during the January-February period compared to the same period last year.

Japan's cherry blossom season will be in full swing in late March and early April and some local media reports suggest a decline in the number of Chinese visitors will continue.

Contacted by AFP, one hotel in the Tokyo Bay area said the number of Chinese guests "had halved since November" and that will likely continue in March and April, although a handful of other hotels said they have seen no significant impact from the soaring ties between Tokyo and Beijing.

V.AbuAwwad--SF-PST