The number of foreign visitors to Japan recovered to 86% of pre-pandemic levels in August with Chinese tourists adding a boost, according to the National Tourism Organization.
The number of visitors was about 2.2 million, compared with 2.52 million visitors in August 2019, the organization reported on Wednesday. The number of Chinese visitors was 364,100, a 16% increase from July, after China ended its ban on tour groups to Japan last month. That compared with a little over 1 million in August 2019.
Doubts had simmered over the recovery in Chinese visitor numbers, after Japan’s release of treated wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant triggered fear and anger in China. Beijing slapped a ban on Japanese seafood imports and there were social media calls for a boycott of Japanese goods more generally. China’s post-pandemic economic recovery this year has also been weaker than expected.