Japan has welcomed more foreign tourists in the first half of 2025 than ever before. Only tourists from Hong Kong stayed home more often. According to the Japanese tourism agency, this may be due to false rumors that a mega-earthquake would take place on July 5.
The tourism agency counted 21.5 million foreign visitors in the first half of 2025. That is a fifth more than in the same period last year. The tourists came mainly from South Korea, China, Singapore, India, the United States, and Germany. Fewer tourists came from Hong Kong.
The visitor numbers from the Chinese city reached a dip in May and fell further by a third in June. Rumors circulated on social media in Hong Kong that Japan would be hit by a mega-earthquake around July 5.
The source is a popular Japanese comic book that some fans say correctly predicted an earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011. The cartoonist of the comic book and the Japanese government have repeatedly denied the prediction. Japan regularly suffers from earthquakes, but none occurred in July.
Tourism to Japan is helped by the weaker yen, which has made vacations in the Asian country more affordable. The government’s goal for 2030 is to attract 60 million tourists annually. However, measures have been taken in various places in Japan to prevent mass tourism, after residents complained about the nuisance.
The Japanese government therefore wants to spread tourism more throughout the country. Vacationers must now also pay to climb the famous Mount Fuji, and a maximum number of visitors per day has been set.