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China-Japan flights to drop 57% in summer travel peak amid geopolitical tensions

Of Japan’s top five inbound tourism markets so far this year, mainland China is the only one where travellers require a visa

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ANA and Japan Airlines planes taxi at Haneda airport in Tokyo on April 12, 2026. Photo: Kyodo
Ralph Jennings
The number of China-Japan flights scheduled by airlines for the coming summer travel period – the peak months of July and August – has dropped by 57 per cent versus a year ago following a political flap and a price hike in Japanese visas, according to industry data.

A total of 2,629 round-trip flights were expected next month between the two Asian countries, down from 6,317 in July last year. In August, 2,641 were scheduled, a drop from the 6,127 flown in August 2025, data compiled by British aviation intelligence firm OAG showed. The data tracked 23 airlines.

“With geopolitical challenges continuing to impact travel patterns, current demand appears to be aligned with the airlines’ planned capacity for the period,” OAG Asia head Mayur Patel said on Thursday.

Mass China-Japan flight cancellations began in November, when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi upset Beijing by suggesting that Tokyo could deploy military forces in the event of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait.

Beijing issued a travel warning that month urging Chinese citizens to avoid visiting Japan, and some Chinese airlines offered passengers refunds on Japan-bound flight bookings. As of June 23, China had scrapped nearly 9,000 flights to Japan this year.

Japan will raise visa fees next month for the first time since 1978. The single-entry visa fee will rise to 15,000 yen (US$92.75) from 3,000 yen and multiple-entry visa fees will cost 30,000 yen compared with 6,000 yen before.
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