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Tokyo faces regional pressure to ease Chinese tourist restrictions, public pressure to resist

Published: 05 Oct. 2025, 15:59

People take photos with Mount Fuji in the background at a convenience store near the mountain. [TV-ASAHI]

The debate over easing visa requirements for Chinese tourists has become a hot-button issue not only in Korea but also in Japan.

Regional economies want the policy relaxed, but the general public remains skeptical — a dilemma similar to Korea's. Yet Japan has taken a different approach. Rather than pushing ahead, it has chosen to put the plan on hold.

Japanese media outlets have described the government's stance as evasive. Kyodo News reported on Sept. 20 that “a plan to ease visa conditions for Chinese tourists was initially expected to start this spring, but has been delayed for months due to opposition within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP),” adding that a senior Foreign Ministry official was only quoted as saying that the ministry would “continue careful discussions.”

The delay appears to stem from political caution, with the government wary of public backlash. This is best shown in January, when Tsuyoshi Hoshino, chair of the LDP's committee on foreign affairs, criticized the government for “hurrying,” and the Foreign Ministry responded that it would “take the party's concerns seriously.”

Japan's plan to loosen visa requirements for Chinese tourists began to take shape late last year, following the foreign minister's visit to Beijing. The proposal would grant multiple-entry visas valid for up to 10 years to high-income Chinese travelers visiting Japan for tourism and extend the group tourist visa period from 15 to 30 days. The initiative was largely seen as a reciprocal gesture after China lifted its ban on Japanese seafood imports in June 2024.

However, mounting frustration over overtourism and rising anti-China sentiment has put the brakes on any change. The Japanese newspaper Mainichi cited a public opinion poll showing that 89 percent of respondents held negative views toward China, noting that such “attitudes underpin conservative opposition within the LDP.” It also said that even when Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and other officials insisted that the policy would not lead to an “uncontrolled influx” of Chinese tourists, critics within the party reportedly complained that the move would “only hurt approval ratings by linking Japan closely with China.”

Public fatigue over overtourism has also contributed to the delay. The introduction of local accommodation taxes, aimed at offsetting burdens stemming from overtourism through regional revenue, has sparked fresh social tensions. The Japan Times cited opposition from the Miyagi Prefecture Hotel Association, which argued that such taxes could “increase administrative burdens for hoteliers and weaken their price competitiveness.”

People walk along one of the lanes filled with touristy shops and restaurants leading to Kiyomizu-dera temple in Kyoto on Oct. 13, 2022. [AFP/YONHAP]

Still, economic considerations make the idea of easing visa restrictions for Chinese tourists difficult to ignore. In July alone, of the 3.44 million visitors to Japan, 974,500 were from China — the largest share among all nationalities.

Japan saw a record high of 36.87 million foreign visitors in 2024, and between January and July this year, around 24.95 million people have already visited, putting the country on track for another all-time high.

With Chinese tourists driving much of the post-pandemic recovery in travel demand, many in the tourism industry argue that Japan should accelerate efforts to ease entry.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LEE KEUN-PYUNG [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]