Koreans top foreign visitor rankings in Japan as Chinese tourists stay away

South Koreans emerged as the top foreign visitors to Japan last month amid a 10th consecutive monthly decline in Chinese tourist arrivals, driven by strained Sino-Japanese relations. Although overall visitor numbers fell, foreign tourist spending in Japan hit a record high, buoyed by the weak yen.

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, 842,300 Koreans visited Japan in September, up 25.6 percent from the same month last year — the highest figure among all countries and regions.

Taiwanese visitors came in second at 595,600, a 13.0 percent increase. September arrivals from South Korea, Taiwan and five other countries and regions each reached all-time highs for the month.

Chinese visitors, by contrast, plunged 44.5 percent year-on-year to 430,800, marking a 10th straight month of decline.

Analysts attribute the drop to a cooling in Sino-Japanese relations after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi signaled last November that Japan could intervene in a Taiwan contingency. Chinese arrivals in Japan for the January–September period fell 55.5 percent from the same period last year.

The drop in Chinese tourists weighed on overall visitor numbers. Foreign arrivals in Japan totaled about 30.73 million in the first nine months of this year, down 2.9 percent from the same period last year. September alone saw about 3.1 million visitors, a 5.0 percent decline, marking a second consecutive month below year-earlier levels.

Despite the drop in visitor numbers, tourist spending reached a record high. Foreign visitors spent 7.06 trillion yen ($44.6 billion) in Japan during the January–September period, up 1.9 percent from a year earlier. The weak yen lowered the relative cost of shopping and accommodation for overseas travelers.

Local media said that if the decline in Chinese visitors continues, total foreign arrivals for the full year could fall short of last year's record of about 42.68 million.

Meanwhile, the won-yen fiscal exchange rate fell to 840.2 won per 100 yen on Tuesday, its lowest level since December 2007 — about 18 years and 10 months. The continued weakness of the yen has further reduced the currency-exchange and spending burden for Korean tourists visiting Japan.