Airlines are set to slash nearly 700,000 seats on routes between China and Japan this winter as diplomatic tensions continue to dampen travel demand, according to data from British aviation firm OAG.
Airlines have scheduled 2.8 million seats on China-Japan flights for the winter aviation season, which runs from Oct. 25 to March 27, down from 3.5 million during the same period last year, the South China Morning Post reported, citing OAG’s data.
Airlines are also cancelling more than 5,000 flights during the winter season, the report said.
Chinese carriers account for the bulk of the capacity reductions, reflecting weaker tourism demand.
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A crowd of tourists walk at Nishiki Market in Kyoto, western Japan, March 29, 2023. Photo by Reuters |
The number of foreign visitors to Japan fell 2.9% to 30.73 million in the first nine months of the year, marking the first year-on-year decline for the January-September period since 2021, The Mainichi newspaper reported.
The decline was largely attributed to a 55.5% drop in visitors from mainland China with 3.3 million arrivals.
The shift follows a November 2025 advisory from Chinese authorities urging citizens to avoid travel to Japan after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made remarks in Parliament suggesting that an attack on Taiwan could prompt a response from Japanese defense forces, AFP reported.
Japan fell out of the top 10 overseas destinations for Chinese travelers during this year’s week-long National Day holiday, according to Chinese travel agency Tuniu.