Japan records 42.7 million visitors 2025

Japan crossed 40 million foreign visitors for the first time in 2025, according to Japan National Tourism Organization data released on January 21, 2026. The agency said annual arrivals reached 42,683,600, up 15.8% from the previous record of 36,870,148 in 2024. The figures extended Japan’s post-pandemic tourism boom into a second straight record year. Reporting published on May 14 by JAPAN Forward said the surge is now colliding with concerns about overcrowding and whether tourism operators are prepared for earthquakes, typhoons and other disruptions. ### How big was the 2025 record? JNTO said 42,683,600 foreign visitors entered Japan in 2025, the highest annual total on record and the first time the country exceeded 40 million arrivals. The agency said the annual count was more than 5.8 million above 2024 and marked a 15.8% year-over-year increase. December also finished strongly. JNTO said 3,617,700 people visited in December 2025, a record for that month, helped by school holidays, Christmas travel and year-end demand across multiple markets. (jnto.go.jp) ### Which markets were driving the gains? JNTO said South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, the United States and Canada were among the markets that lifted December traffic. The agency said Australia topped 1 million annual visitors for the first time, becoming the seventh market to clear that threshold after China, South Korea, Taiwan, the United States, Hong Kong and Thailand. (jnto.go.jp) Twenty markets set annual records in 2025, according to JNTO. The list included South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, India, Australia, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Russia, the Nordic region and the Middle East region. ### Did the pace continue into 2026? February 2026 brought 3,466,700 foreign visitors, JNTO said on March 18, making it the strongest February on record. (jnto.go.jp) The agency said the total was 6.4% higher than February 2025. JAPAN Forward reported on May 14 that February’s result underscored how quickly inbound demand has kept building even after the 2025 annual record. The publication said the pressure is most visible in heavily trafficked destinations that already manage large tourist volumes. (jnto.go.jp) ### Where is the strain showing up? Tokyo’s Shibuya and other globally known destinations have become symbols of crowding as arrivals rise, according to JAPAN Forward. (jnto.go.jp) The publication said the tourism boom has intensified debate over how to spread visitors more evenly across regions and seasons. Masato Takamatsu, identified by JAPAN Forward as a crisis-management expert and by ARISE as president of Tourism Resilience Japan, said the issue is not only crowding but whether destinations can support foreign travelers when transport systems fail or disasters hit. (japan-forward.com) He said resilience depends on turning plans into operational support that visitors can actually use. ### What kind of preparedness gaps are being flagged? Japan Tourism Agency guidance highlights tourism crisis management as a policy area for local governments and tourism-related operators. The agency’s English-language site lists materials on illnesses, injuries and disasters and references guidance for promoting tourism crisis management. JAPAN Forward said Takamatsu pointed to gaps in multilingual communication, evacuation support and on-the-ground coordination during emergencies. (japan-forward.com) He said destinations that depend on visitor growth need systems that work during earthquakes and other crises, not only plans on paper. ### What comes next in the official data? JNTO publishes monthly visitor-arrival updates and longer-run statistics through its tourism statistics portal. (mlit.go.jp) The January 21 release said the government’s current tourism plan, adopted in March 2023, sets goals tied to sustainable tourism, higher travel spending and more overnight stays in regional areas. The next benchmark will come in JNTO’s subsequent monthly releases for 2026, which track whether arrivals remain above year-earlier levels and which source markets keep setting records. (japan-forward.com) The Japan Tourism Agency also continues to post tourism-crisis-management materials for local authorities and tourism businesses. (statistics.jnto.go.jp)