Cancellation Wave and Flight Reductions Cause 90% Drop in Japanese Tourists to China
Following the deterioration of Japan-China relations due to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's 'Taiwan contingency theory,' Japanese tourist numbers to China have plummeted by 90% due to a surge in cancellations and significant flight reductions. This situation, exacerbated by geopolitical tensions and rising fuel costs, presents a severe challenge for the tourism industry, with no short-term recovery expected.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 1, 2026 at 14:21
- 🔍 Collected: May 1, 2026 at 14:31 (10 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 1, 2026 at 17:11 (2h 39m after Collected)
(Taipei, May 1st, Central News Agency) After Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's "Taiwan contingency theory" led to a worsening of Japan-China relations, not only did Chinese tourists to Japan sharply decrease, but the scale of Japanese travel to China also plummeted. Recently, a wave of tourist cancellations has emerged, coupled with a significant reduction in Japan-China flights, causing the number of Japanese tourists to fall by 90%.
Japan's Kyodo News Chinese website reported the above yesterday. Industry insiders lamented, "The strong headwind of a triple blow is fiercely blowing: seat shortages due to flight reductions, cooling enthusiasm for travel to China, and rising fuel costs caused by the worsening Middle East situation."
Since Sanae Takaichi made her "Taiwan contingency" remarks last November, the Chinese government has urged its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan. In March of this year, 2,691 flights from China to Japan were canceled, with a cancellation rate reaching approximately 50%.
Furthermore, the report quoted a person in charge of China tours at a major Japanese travel agency, who revealed that since November last year, the cancellation rate for Japanese tour groups to Shanghai has been as high as 50%.
The person in charge of Japan business at a local travel agency analyzed that tourists are canceling tours primarily due to safety concerns. The attacks on a Japanese school bus in Suzhou and the death of a Japanese schoolboy in Shenzhen in 2024 raised safety concerns among Japanese citizens regarding travel to China. In addition, many air routes were suspended starting from the end of last year, leading to a 70% year-on-year decrease in Japanese visitors to Shanghai.
The decrease in Japanese tourists has also led to a drop in income for many Japanese-speaking tour guides in China, some even facing unemployment. A male guide in Xi'an, who has been a Japanese-speaking guide for nearly 30 years, sighed that he has not received a single Japanese tourist this year. A male guide in Beijing also said that he has had almost no Japanese customers since March, and his income has decreased by 90%.
The report stated that Japan was once one of China's main sources of inbound tourists, but industry insiders are currently pessimistic about the future, saying, "As long as Japan-China relations do not improve and flights do not increase, the Japanese travel market to China will be difficult to recover in the short term." (Edited by Chou Hui-ying / Chen Kai-yu) 1150501
Japan's Kyodo News Chinese website reported the above yesterday. Industry insiders lamented, "The strong headwind of a triple blow is fiercely blowing: seat shortages due to flight reductions, cooling enthusiasm for travel to China, and rising fuel costs caused by the worsening Middle East situation."
Since Sanae Takaichi made her "Taiwan contingency" remarks last November, the Chinese government has urged its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan. In March of this year, 2,691 flights from China to Japan were canceled, with a cancellation rate reaching approximately 50%.
Furthermore, the report quoted a person in charge of China tours at a major Japanese travel agency, who revealed that since November last year, the cancellation rate for Japanese tour groups to Shanghai has been as high as 50%.
The person in charge of Japan business at a local travel agency analyzed that tourists are canceling tours primarily due to safety concerns. The attacks on a Japanese school bus in Suzhou and the death of a Japanese schoolboy in Shenzhen in 2024 raised safety concerns among Japanese citizens regarding travel to China. In addition, many air routes were suspended starting from the end of last year, leading to a 70% year-on-year decrease in Japanese visitors to Shanghai.
The decrease in Japanese tourists has also led to a drop in income for many Japanese-speaking tour guides in China, some even facing unemployment. A male guide in Xi'an, who has been a Japanese-speaking guide for nearly 30 years, sighed that he has not received a single Japanese tourist this year. A male guide in Beijing also said that he has had almost no Japanese customers since March, and his income has decreased by 90%.
The report stated that Japan was once one of China's main sources of inbound tourists, but industry insiders are currently pessimistic about the future, saying, "As long as Japan-China relations do not improve and flights do not increase, the Japanese travel market to China will be difficult to recover in the short term." (Edited by Chou Hui-ying / Chen Kai-yu) 1150501