Japan’s Immigration Services Agency recently released preliminary figures for foreign arrivals in 2025. Total inbound entries reached 42.43 million, up 15% from 2024, marking a new record for the second consecutive year.
In contrast, new arrivals from mainland China (excluding re-entries) fell sharply in December 2025 to 280,000, nearly half the level recorded in the same month a year earlier. The decline was partly attributed to calls by the Chinese government urging caution over travel to Japan.
On a monthly basis, new arrivals from mainland China stayed between 500,000 and 800,000 from January to October. The figure fell to 450,000 in November and dropped further to 280,000 in December, a 47% year-on-year decline.
For the full year, new arrivals from mainland China totaled 7.22 million, up 32% from the previous year. By country and region, mainland China ranked second, behind South Korea, which recorded 9.23 million arrivals (+7%), followed by Taiwan with 6.39 million (+12%), and the United States with 3.24 million (+22%).
The total number of arrivals includes both short-term visitors to Japan and foreign nationals granted mid- to long-term residence status.
By residence status, short-term stays accounted for 38.46 million arrivals, or 98% of the total. Students numbered 180,000, while technical intern trainees totaled 160,000.
