Tourists hit record in Japan, despite plunge from China

Japan logged 42.7 million arrivals last year, according to the transport ministry, topping 2024's record of nearly 37 million as the weak yen boosted the appeal of the "bucket list" destination. However, the number of tourists from China last month dropped about 45 percent from a year earlier to around 330,000. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's suggestion in November that Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attack on Taiwan triggered a sharp diplomatic backlash from China, which urged its citizens to avoid travelling to Japan.