China and Japan See Record Foreign Arrivals

International

Visa-free policy drives tourism boom in China.

China and Japan have reported record numbers of foreign visitors in the first half of 2025, according to data released on Wednesday.

The sharp increase in arrivals to China, the world’s second most populous country, is largely attributed to its expanded visa-free policy for around 70 countries.

Following a sharp decline in international travel during the early 2020s due to global COVID-19 restrictions, tourism has now rebounded significantly.

According to China’s National Immigration Administration, a total of 333 million border crossings were recorded in the first half of 2025 — a 15.8% increase year-on-year, as reported by state media.

Of these, over 38 million crossings were made by foreign nationals. Notably, 13.64 million of those were visa-free entries, accounting for 71.2% of all foreign arrivals, representing a 53.9% increase compared to the previous year.

China has recently extended its visa-free entry scheme to include 70 countries, including those previously eligible for transit visa waivers.

Meanwhile, Japan, with a population of 125 million, also saw a tourism boom. According to government data cited by Kyodo News, the country welcomed a record 21.5 million foreign visitors in the first half of 2025, surpassing the previous high of 17.78 million recorded last year.

In June alone, Japan saw 3.38 million foreign arrivals, up 7.6% year-on-year — the highest ever for the month.

Tourism policies and the country’s approach to foreign visitors have become key issues in Japan’s current election campaign. Voters are set to go to the polls on 20 July to elect 125 members to the House of Councilors, Japan’s upper house of parliament.