Japan's tourism minister says a record number of foreigners visited Japan in 2025, topping the 40 million mark for the first time. That is partly due to the weak yen.

Kaneko Yasushi told reporters on Tuesday that inbound foreign travelers totaled 42.7 million last year.

The number of foreign visitors tumbled during the coronavirus pandemic. But numbers in 2024 recovered to more than 36.8 million, renewing the previous record high.

Kaneko noted that visitors from China were down roughly 45 percent in December from a year earlier.

The plunge follows Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae's remark about a possible Taiwan emergency during a Diet session in November. Beijing criticized the comment and urged Chinese citizens not to visit Japan.

Kaneko said he will continue to monitor the trend closely. He added that efforts are needed to bring back more Chinese visitors as soon as possible.

nhk