Rankings · Ranking · official data
Foreign visitors to Japan by year
Foreign visitor arrivals to Japan by year since 2019 and the latest monthly figures, from JNTO.
Last checked · Sources
In short
Japan received a record 42,683,301 foreign visitors in 2025, +34% more than in 2019. In January–August 2026 arrivals were 27,626,300, -2.7% on the same months a year earlier.
Arrivals by year
| Year | Months | Visitors | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | full year | 31,882,049 | – | |
| 2023 | full year | 25,066,350 | – | |
| 2024 | full year | 36,870,148 | +47.1% | |
| 2025 | full year | 42,683,301 | +15.8% | |
| 2026 | Jan–Aug (so far) | 27,626,300 | -2.7% |
Source: JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization), Visitor arrivals statistics (Visitor arrivals by nationality/month (2003-2026), sheets 2019/2023/2024/2025/2026). Period: 2019, 2023-2025 (annual), 2026 Jan-Aug. Unit: persons.
Arrivals by month
| Month | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2026 vs 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2,688,478 | 3,781,629 | 3,597,881 | -4.9% | |
| February | 2,788,224 | 3,258,491 | 3,466,848 | +6.4% | |
| March | 3,081,781 | 3,497,755 | 3,619,159 | +3.5% | |
| April | 3,043,003 | 3,909,128 | 3,692,364 | -5.5% | |
| May | 3,040,294 | 3,693,587 | 3,560,256 | -3.6% | |
| June | 3,140,642 | 3,377,985 | 3,148,754 | -6.8% | |
| July | 3,292,602 | 3,437,118 | 3,442,100 | +0.1% | |
| August | 2,933,381 | 3,428,406 | 3,098,900 | -9.6% | |
| September | 2,872,487 | 3,267,228 | – | – | |
| October | 3,312,193 | 3,896,524 | – | – | |
| November | 3,187,175 | 3,517,659 | – | – | |
| December | 3,489,888 | 3,617,791 | – | – |
Source: JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization), Visitor arrivals statistics (Visitor arrivals by nationality/month (2003-2026), row "Total"). Period: 2024-01 to 2026-08. Unit: persons.
What the numbers say
The record year was 2025 with 42,683,301 arrivals. 2019: 31.9 million, 2023: 25.1 million, 2024: 36.9 million (+47.1%) and 2025: 42.7 million (+15.8%).
Compared with 2019, the last year before the pandemic, 2025 was +34%. The recovery was driven by a weak yen, which made Japan one of the cheapest developed countries for visitors from the United States, Europe and Australia, and by the return of flights from East Asia.
2026 so far: 27,626,300 arrivals in January–August, -2.7% on the same months of 2025. The monthly table below shows which months are up and which are down.
JNTO counts foreign nationals entering Japan, excluding foreign residents. Business travellers and short-term transit passengers are included, so the figure is larger than the number of tourists; the Japan Tourism Agency’s survey puts leisure travel at the large majority of trips.
What the numbers mean on the ground: Kyoto, Tokyo and Osaka are crowded in a way they were not a decade ago, popular restaurants and ryokan book out weeks ahead in peak months, and the government has responded with higher departure and accommodation taxes, a new tax-free system from November 2026 and local rules on behaviour in places such as Gion. The prefecture rankings on this site show where the crowds are not.
How to read the figures
Figures for the most recent year are preliminary for the earlier months and estimates for the latest two months; JNTO revises them when final immigration data is published. The year-on-year change for a partial year compares the same months of the previous year.
Frequently asked questions
How many tourists visited Japan in 2025?
42,683,301 foreign visitors in 2025, +15.8% on 2024, the highest on record.
Has tourism to Japan recovered to pre-pandemic levels?
Yes — 2025 was +34% compared with 2019’s 31,882,049.
Is 2026 busier than 2025?
Not so far: January–August 2026 was -2.7% on the same months of 2025.
Sources
Official and primary sources used for this page. Checked October 6, 2026.
- JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization), Visitor arrivals statistics – Visitor arrivals by nationality/month (2003-2026), sheets 2019/2023/2024/2025/2026 — 2019, 2023-2025 (annual), 2026 Jan-Aug
- JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization) – Japan tourism statistics — monthly visitor arrivals by market
- Japan Tourism Agency – Consumption Trend Survey for Foreigners Visiting Japan — 2025 annual results (final), published 2026
To cite or link to this page: Foreign visitors to Japan by year — Japan Pocket Guide, https://japanpocketguide.com/rankings/visitor-numbers-by-year/