Japan Tourism White Paper 2026: 42.68m Visitors, JPY 9.45trn Spend, World Rank Up to 9thA · FULL TRANSLATION
- Inbound visitors hit a record 42.68 million in 2025, up 15.8% from 36.87 million
- Inbound travel spending reached a record JPY 9.4549 trillion, up 16.4% from JPY 8.1257 trillion
- Total travel spending inside Japan reached JPY 37.6 trillion, up 9.6%; domestic Japanese travel was JPY 26.8 trillion
- Japan ranked 9th worldwide (1st in Asia) on 2024 arrivals of 36.90 million, up from 15th on 2023 arrivals of 25.10 million in last year's edition
- Global international arrivals reached a record 1.523 billion in 2025, up 4.0%
The Reiwa 8 (2026) White Paper on Tourism was approved by Cabinet on 10 July 2026. We start tracking this series from this edition, unpacking the same indicators each year so readings stay comparable.
Three curves rose together in 2025. Inbound visitors reached 42.68 million, up 15.8% from 36.87 million. Inbound travel spending reached JPY 9.4549 trillion, up 16.4%. Adding Japanese and foreign travellers, total travel spending inside Japan came to JPY 37.6 trillion, up 9.6%. All three are record highs.
Japanese domestic travel spending was JPY 26.8 trillion, up 6.5%, split into JPY 21.7 trillion for overnight trips and JPY 5.1 trillion for day trips. Inbound spending of JPY 9.5 trillion is about a quarter of the total. In 2016 the total was JPY 25.8 trillion with inbound at JPY 3.7 trillion, so of the JPY 11.8 trillion added over nine years, inbound supplied JPY 5.8 trillion.
The ranking shift matters as much as the volume. Last year's edition used 2023 data, placing Japan 15th worldwide and 2nd in Asia with 25.10 million. This edition uses 2024 data: 36.90 million, 9th worldwide and 1st in Asia, behind France at 102.0 million, Spain at 93.8 million and the US at 72.4 million.
Outbound lags. Japanese departures were 14.73 million, up 13.3%, still below the 20.08 million of 2019.
Summary of the White Paper on Tourism in Japan 2026 (Reiwa 8), Part I, Chapters 1 and 2, as published by the Japan Tourism Agency.
World tourism: on 2024 inbound arrivals Japan ranked 9th worldwide and 1st in Asia with 36.90 million. UN Tourism data put international arrivals at 1.5230 billion in 2025, up 4.0% year on year and a record high. The paper notes that national statistical standards differ and that the table uses provisional values as of January 2026.
Inbound visitors: 42.68 million in 2025, up 15.8% year on year and a record high. By nationality, the share of Europe, North America and Australia rose versus 2019, indicating broader diversification of source markets. Source: JNTO.
Inbound spending: JPY 9.4549 trillion in 2025, up 16.4% year on year and a record high, with the same diversification trend by market. Source: JTA consumption trend surveys.
Japanese travel: domestic person-trips totalled 550 million in 2025, up 2.4%. Japanese domestic travel spending was JPY 26.8 trillion, up 6.5% and a record. Departures abroad were 14.73 million, up 13.3%. Total travel spending inside Japan was JPY 37.6 trillion, up 9.6% and a record.
The paper's breakdown of travel spending inside Japan (JPY trillion) is: Japanese overnight trips 16.0 in 2016, 17.2 in 2019, 20.3 in 2024, 21.7 in 2025; Japanese day trips 4.9, 4.8, 4.8 and 5.1; the domestic portion of Japanese overseas travel 1.4 in 2025; inbound travel 3.7, 4.8, 8.1 and 9.5; totals 25.8, 27.9, 34.3 and 37.6. Values for 2020 to 2022 are estimates affected by COVID-19.
For comparison, the Reiwa 7 edition reported 36.87 million inbound visitors in 2024, inbound spending of JPY 8.1257 trillion, Japanese domestic travel spending of JPY 25.1 trillion, total spending inside Japan of JPY 34.3 trillion, departures of 13.01 million, and a world ranking of 15th based on 2023 arrivals of 25.10 million.