COVID-19 Causes 87% Decrease in Foreign Visitors to Japan Last Year... 91% Drop in Korean Visitors

On the 10th, a cancellation notice for the flight to Haneda, Japan, is displayed at the international terminal of Gimpo International Airport in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] The number of foreigners visiting Japan last year decreased by 87% compared to the previous year. The number of Korean visitors to Japan also dropped by 91%. This is attributed to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) announced on the 20th that the estimated number of foreign visitors to Japan last year was 4,115,900, a decrease of 87.1% compared to the previous year. This figure is similar to the number of foreign visitors to Japan in 1998. The number of Korean visitors to Japan also fell by 91.3% to 487,900 compared to 2019.

This is considered a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, since the first confirmed COVID-19 case in Japan in January last year, the country has strengthened entry restrictions for foreigners, and at one point, the decrease rate of foreign visitors to Japan reached as high as 99.9%.

Meanwhile, the number of foreign visitors to Japan is expected to show a clear downward trend again as the Japanese government declared a state of emergency due to the spread of COVID-19 and suspended business tracks with countries such as Korea and China.