Japan sees record number of foreign visitors in February 2025

Japan has seen a record number of tourists visit the country in February 2025.

On March 19th, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) released its estimated figures concerning the number of foreign visitors who traveled to Japan during the month of February.

The data revealed that the total number of foreign visitors to Japan in February 2025 reached 3,258,100, marking a substantial increase of 16.9% when compared to February 2024.

Tourist using phone in Japan — The number of foreign visitors in February 2025 was the highest on record at over 3 million

Notably, this figure represents the first time that the number of tourists has surpassed the 3 million mark for the month of February.

The continuing increase in inbound tourism is unsurprising, as data released by the Kyushu Transport Bureau in early 2025 indicated a significant surge in tourist numbers.

Though the increase in visitors to Japan is generally a positive for the tourism industry, over tourism is a growing concern amongst many natives, with incidents of poor behaviour by foreign visitors being widely reported.

These incidents, which include voyeurism, assault and solicitation, has led some tourist spots to take measures to protect against what they perceive as a lack of respect for Japanese culture. A recent incident of ‘unforgivable disrespect’ at a shrine in Tsushima, Nagasaki, has led to a ban on tourists.

Tsushima’s Watazumi Shrine issued a statement advising that ‘tourists’ were now banned from the shrine

Tourists are however continuing to arrive in increasing numbers, and according to the estimate of foreign visitor numbers published by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) on March 19th, the total number of foreign visitors to Japan in February 2025 was calculated to be 3,258,100.

This figure significantly exceeds the previous record for February, which was set in 2024 at 2,788,224 people, and signifies the first occasion that the number of visitors has exceeded 3 million for the month of February.

When analyzed by country of origin, visitors from South Korea increased by 3.5% when compared to the same month in the previous year, reaching a total 847,300 visitors.

South Korea has overtaken China as being the main source of foreign visitors to Japan

This growth allowed South Korea to surpass China, which had held the top position in the preceding month, and assume the leading position. China followed in second place, with a 57.3% year-on-year increase to 722,700 visitors.

Taiwan ranked third, with a 1.0% year-on-year increase to 507,300 visitors.

Hong Kong placed fourth, with a 5.0% year-on-year decrease to 195,500 visitors.

The United States rounded out the top five, with a 28.8% year-on-year increase to 191,500 visitors.

The increase in travel from China can be attributed to several factors, including school holidays and the Chinese New Year holidays, which commenced in late January, as well as an increase in air traffic and a growing trend among Chinese travelers to select Japan as a travel destination given the current geopolitical landscape.

Visitors from China increased significantly, with Chinese New Year being seen as an optimal time for overseas travel

In South Korea and Taiwan, the record February numbers were also supported by an increase in the number of flights and available seats.

Other regions that exhibited significant year-on-year increases included Russia, with a 96.1% increase to 5,700 visitors, the Middle East, with a 73.5% increase to 10,800 visitors, and Spain, with a 55.0% increase to 9,800 visitors.

Source: Honichi