With an all-time high of 42.7 million foreign tourists counted in 2025, Japan is clearly having a tremendous tourism boom that is also unprecedented. While the country took in over $60 billion from the said foreign tourists, immense tourism is causing a wide series of challenges for the Japanese residents and the authority, and this early the Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) announced that the nation will make serious moves to tackle overtourism by the year 2030, according to a news article by Kyodo News.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news article of Kyodo News. Some parts in boldface…
The Japan Tourism Agency said Friday it plans to more than double the number of regions taking steps to address overtourism from the current 47 by 2030, in an effort to increase understanding among the public of the importance of inbound tourism to the nation’s economy.
A goal to boost the number of such regions to 100 will be included for the first time in the government’s next basic tourism promotion plan. A draft of the plan, which covers five years from fiscal 2026, was presented to a panel of experts and is scheduled to be approved by the Cabinet in March.
According to the draft, the government will maintain its existing targets to increase inbound visitor numbers to 60 million and their annual spending to 15 trillion yen ($97 billion) by 2030.
In 2025, foreign visitors to Japan reached an estimated record of 42.7 million, with their spending also at a new all-time high of 9.5 trillion yen, according to the government.
With a sharp decline in Chinese tourists due to deteriorating bilateral relations, the draft also stressed the importance of preparing for changes in the international situation, saying that efforts will be made to attract visitors from a wide range of countries and regions.
The agency has been implementing model projects to support regions taking steps to address overtourism issues, such as traffic congestion and nuisance behavior.
To date, 47 regions, including Kyoto in western Japan and Taketomi in Okinawa Prefecture, have been advancing initiatives based on resident feedback, including easing congestion on local roads and limiting visitor numbers.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Do you think that the ongoing tourism in Japan will last for at least the next three years? Would you be surprised to see foreign tourist arrivals in Japan reach 45 million by the end of this year? Are you dismayed to see foreign tourists misbehave or violate local rules during their stay in Japan? Do you think China’s hostility against Japan will bring down this year’s count of foreign tourists?
You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.
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