Japan's Jan. foreign visitors dip amid China spat, 1st fall in 4 years

TOKYO - The number of foreign visitors to Japan in January dipped 4.9 percent from a year earlier to 3.60 million, the government said Wednesday, as entries of Chinese nationals plummeted after Beijing urged its citizens not to visit Japan due to diplomatic tensions over Taiwan.

The number of visitors fell for the first time in four years since January 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Japan National Tourism Organization noting that the decline could also be attributed to the Lunar New Year falling in mid-February this year and a reduction in the number of flights between the countries.