Tokyo: Japan experienced an unprecedented influx of foreign tourists in December despite a significant reduction in visitors from China amidst ongoing diplomatic tensions between the two nations.

According to Thai News Agency, statistics reveal that in December, only 330,000 Chinese tourists visited Japan, comprising less than 10 percent of the total 3.6 million foreign tourists that month. This marks a notable decline compared to November, when Chinese tourists were the largest group, making up a quarter of all visitors to Japan.

The decline in Chinese tourists followed a travel advisory issued by the Chinese government last November. The advisory warned Chinese citizens against traveling to Japan in response to comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who suggested that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could threaten Japan's survival and potentially lead to a military response. China maintains its claim over Taiwan, despite the latter being a democratic nation.

Japanese Tourism Minister Yasushi Kaneko has projected that by 2025, the number of foreign tourists will surpass 40 million for the first time, reaching a total of 42.7 million. Moreover, the cumulative spending by foreign tourists is expected to hit 9.5 trillion yen (approximately 2.1 trillion baht) for the year, setting another record.

However, JTB, a leading Japanese travel company, anticipates a potential 2.8 percent decrease in foreign tourists this year. This prediction is attributed to a slowdown in post-COVID-19 tourism and a continued decline in visitors from Hong Kong and mainland China due to the diplomatic rift.