Japan, which attracted over 42 million foreign tourists in 2025, counted 7.06 trillion Yen (US$45 billion) spent by foreign visitors during the first nine months of 2026, according to a recent news report by Kyodo News. The number of foreign visitors during the same time period has reached 30.73 million.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the report of Kyodo News. Some parts in boldface…
Spending by foreign visitors to Japan hit a record 7.06 trillion yen ($45 billion) in the nine months through September, the Japan Tourism Agency said Wednesday.
The spending, which includes shopping and accommodation costs, rose 1.9 percent from the same period a year earlier.
Spending from July through September increased 3.2 percent from a year earlier to 2.2 trillion yen. By country and region, Taiwan topped the list with 382 billion yen, followed by China with 358 billion yen.
For the three months through September, average spending per visitor was 233,677 yen, up 6.1 percent.
The number of foreign visitors during the nine months, meanwhile, fell 2.9 percent to 30.73 million, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. It was the first decline for the January-September period since 2021, during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Visitors from China dropped 55.5 percent amid strained relations with Japan following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks in November suggesting that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could prompt a response by the Self-Defense Forces in support of the United States.
South Korea topped the list with 8.3 million visitors, up 21.6 percent during the three quarters from January, followed by Taiwan with 6 million, up 19.1 percent, China with 3.3 million, the United States with 2.5 million, up 5.2 percent, and Hong Kong with 2 million, up 7.7 percent.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Do you think Japan could attract at least 43 million foreign visitors by the end of the year? What do you think explains the higher spending of foreign visitors in Japan this year?
You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.
+++++
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @CarloCarrascoPH as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco
