Japanese tourism operators are increasingly worried that the decline in Chinese tourist arrivals will hit the local tourism sector sharply, especially in cities that rely heavily on visitors from China.
Following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent remarks on China's Taiwan, the number of Chinese travelers to Japan has dropped significantly since Nov 15. According to reports, over 40 percent of planned flights from China to Japan in December have been canceled, totaling over 1,900 flights.
In Tokyo's Asakusa district, the change is obvious in restaurants and snack shops.
"We receive more foreign visitors. If you divide customers into Japanese and foreigners, around 60 to 70 percent of them are from other countries. We also run another shop near Kaminarimon. When we ask customers where they're from, we can feel the decrease of Chinese visitors," said a bakery owner.
Besides Tokyo, other cities have also been hit hard, with hotels that have long relied on Chinese tour groups and individual travelers seeing widespread cancellations.
"Our hotel opened in 2018, and since then, we have relied heavily on Chinese guests. Because of the current situation, we've seen a large number of cancellations from the year-end to early next year. We're very worried. For Okinawa tourism, we are eagerly looking forward to Chinese visitors, whether group or individual travelers. So this is extremely concerning," said a hotel worker in Okinawa.
"Chinese tourists are extremely important for our tourism. A lot of cruise passengers come to Okinawa. Our biggest worry is that if this situation continues into next January and February, it could affect tens of thousands of people. Okinawa has many experience-based activities like canoeing, visiting distilleries, and pottery workshops. If Chinese tourists stop coming, the impact on these operators will be huge. It won't just be us hotel owners, but also operators of souvenir shops and all facilities will all take a major hit, especially during the Spring Festival," said Kimiharu Sakamoto, vice president of Okinawa Resorts Division.
Facing a growing wave of cancellations, Sakamoto says the losses this year are already significant and continuing to spread.
"A local travel agency told me that around 530 tourists canceled their bookings this year. Based on the length of their stays, that comes to a reduction of 1,800 room nights, which is a major blow to accommodation businesses. And that's just one agency. There are many others here, and I'm worried that they may suffer similar losses. We hope Japan-China relations will improve as soon as possible so that Chinese guests can feel reassured to visit here," said Sakamoto.
Drop in Chinese traveler numbers hits Japan's tourism after PM's remarks on Taiwan
Drop in Chinese traveler numbers hits Japan's tourism after PM's remarks on Taiwan
The recently signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the United States and Iran has sparked major concern among Israeli officials, who fear that Israel's interests are being abandoned by its most crucial ally, according to analysts.
The development comes as Israel braces for a pivotal election later this year, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu potentially facing severe political fallout from the agreement.
"Israel views the MoU signed with Iran as a complete capitulation where the Americans were desperate to reach a deal because they clearly failed abysmally to plan for the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz. So they feel that all of Israel's interests have been abandoned," said Dan Perry, an American world affairs and political analyst.
Following the signing of the MoU, Iran and the United States held the first round of high-stakes indirect talks, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, at the Swiss mountain resort of Buergenstock on Sunday.
On Monday, mediators announced encouraging outcomes from the talks, including a 60-day roadmap toward a final deal, and mechanisms to ensure the security of commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, a close ally of Iran in Lebanon.
However, there have been concerns that Israel may jeopardize the negotiations.
"No doubt that the Americans, some of the Americans, definitely some of the Americans that are negotiating, like the Vice President JD Vance, think that Israel can put some obstacles and jeopardize the negotiations," said Yaki Dayan, former Israeli consul in Los Angeles.
With Israeli elections looming later this year, Netanyahu's core strategy to get re-elected was to portray the very good relations he holds with U.S. President Donald Trump. However, the MoU and the ensuing negotiations between the U.S. and Iran may dramatically affect the election results.
"Unless something dramatically changes, this is devastating for Netanyahu, not only because he pursued a strategy that has failed - the Iranian regime still stands, the nuclear program still exists, Hamas and Hezbollah are still fighting against Israel, but also because he was long perceived as Mr. America, with his incredible eloquence in American English. He could run circles around any American president to get America to do Israel's bidding," said Perry.
Perry added that instead of maintaining that influence, Netanyahu has brought Israel to an unbelievably low point in its relationship with the United States.
Although Netanyahu did practically everything to persuade the U.S. to withdraw from the previous Iran nuclear deal signed more than a decade ago under President Barack Obama, analysts doubt that he can repeat it again this time because Israel and its prime minister rely entirely on just one side of the American political spectrum.
"When you look at alternatives now, you don't have because Israel has lost the Democratic side as well. So you don't have an alternative in the American politics," said Dayan.
Israel feels its interests "abandoned" in US-Iran deal: analysts
