Japan sees record 39m foreign visitors in first 11 months of 2025

Japan recorded an estimated cumulative total of 39.06 million foreign visitors from January to November this year, surpassing last year's record annual high of 36.87 million, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.

The number of visitors to Japan last month reached 3.52 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 10.4 percent.

Amid the impact of deteriorating China-Japan relations, mainland tourists to Japan recorded only a 3 percent year-on-year increase in November, with arrivals totaling 562,600.

The figure also marks a slowdown from a 22.8 percent increase in October.

Nevertheless, mainland tourists remain the largest visitor group this year, accounting for nearly a quarter of the total.

Visitors from Hong Kong decreased by 7.2 percent year-on-year to 2.2262 million, making it the only region to experience a decline in tourist numbers.