Japan National Tourism Organization
Japan's national tourism promoter; publishes monthly inbound visitor arrival estimates.
The Japan National Tourism Organization's monthly estimate, released on 16 September 2026, put August arrivals at 3.10m, down 9.6% and the year's steepest fall, as Chinese visitors dropped 59.0% to 418,000 while Korean arrivals rose 28.7%.
Last refreshed: 3 October 2026
Can Korean visitors make up for Japan's lost Chinese tourists?
Timeline for Japan National Tourism Organization
Reported August arrivals on 16 September
Nomads & Communities: UN Tourism cuts 2026 arrivals forecastBackground
The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) is the government body that promotes Japan as a travel destination abroad and publishes the country's monthly estimates of inbound visitor arrivals. It is an incorporated administrative agency under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, headquartered in Tokyo with promotion offices overseas. Its arrival series, broken down by country of residence, is the standard measure of foreign tourism to Japan.
On 16 September 2026 JNTO estimated August arrivals at 3.10m, down 9.6% on a year earlier and the steepest monthly drop of 2026. Chinese visitors fell 59.0% to 418,000, while Korean visitors rose 28.7%. Japan stood 2.7% behind 2025 for the year to date.
The figures landed a day after UN Tourism trimmed its global growth outlook for 2026 to 1-2% (down from 3-4% in January), with Asia-Pacific slowing to 1% in the first half. JNTO's country split shows how far Japan's tourism total now depends on a single market's swing.
JNTO records the year's steepest monthly fall
The monthly count JNTO released on 16 September 2026 gave August 3.10m foreign arrivals, 9.6% below August 2025 and the weakest month of the year against its prior-year level. Its country split carries the story: arrivals from China dropped 59.0% to 418,000, while visitors from South Korea grew 28.7%.
On the agency's own series, the cumulative total since January sits 2.7% below the same stretch of 2025. For a body charged with selling Japan abroad, August left its Chinese market in sharp retreat and its Korean market still growing. The release came a day after UN Tourism, on 15 September 2026, halved its outlook for global arrivals growth this year to 1-2%.