Japan outbound journey stays at 70% of pre-pandemic ranges

Overseas journey from Japan has been recovering however stays at greater than 70 p.c of pre-pandemic ranges amid a weak yen, a Kyodo News evaluation of presidency knowledge confirmed Saturday.

In 2025, Japanese nationals made a complete of 14.73 million journeys overseas, in contrast with a file 20.08 million in 2019. The authorities had set a aim of surpassing the 2019 determine in 2025.

The goal was reset in March this 12 months to exceed the 2019 determine by 2030. As a part of efforts to advertise abroad journey, the federal government will decrease passport issuance charges for purposes filed on or after July 1.

Airlines want to take care of a sure variety of outbound vacationers to maintain their worldwide routes.

After peaking in 2019, the variety of abroad journeys from Japan plunged to 510,000 in 2021 on the top of the coronavirus pandemic, then started to get well the next 12 months, rising to 13.0 million in 2024, based on knowledge for the previous 76 years.

Tokyo noticed the smallest drop at 19.5 p.c, whereas Fukushima in northeastern Japan noticed the most important, down 43.0 p.c from 106,000 departures in 2019 to 60,000 in 2025.

Data additionally confirmed ladies of their 20s had been extra lively in abroad journey lately, whereas fewer women and men of their 70s or older traveled overseas in contrast with different age teams.

Departures recovered reasonably 12 months on 12 months within the January-March interval, however the variety of outbound vacationers might decline as airways increase gasoline surcharges for worldwide flights amid a surge in crude oil costs, consultants stated.

In distinction, international guests to Japan exceeded 42.43 million in 2025 amid booming inbound tourism, based on knowledge from the Immigration Services Agency.

© KYODO