Chinese travel pullback puts major strain on Japan's tourism industry

Recent diplomatic tensions between China and Japan have triggered the cancellation of more than 500,000 Japan-bound flight tickets from China, while Chinese travel agencies are also revoking group tours to Japan, delivering a significant blow to Japan's tourism sector.

Japanese analysts estimate that if strained bilateral relations persist for over a year, spending by Chinese tourists in Japan could fall by more than 2 trillion yen (about 13 billion USD).

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism have advised Chinese citizens to avoid traveling to Japan due to security concerns.

Experts warn that unless the Japanese government takes steps to rebuild trust damaged by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent remarks on China's Taiwan, Japan could see a 50 percent decline in visitors from China.