Travel Between Australia and Japan: International Visitor Statistics

Published 2 Jan 2025Updated 19 Nov 2025

Published 2 Jan 2025 · Updated 19 Nov 2025

Key Highlights:

  • Over 1.2 million Australians visited Japan in 2025 (year ending June), a 71% increase from 700,000 travellers in 2024, highlighting Japan’s continued rise as a top outbound destination for Australians.
  • Around 397,000 Japanese residents visited Australia in 2025 (year ending June), an increase of approximately 10% from 360,000 visitors in 2024, reflecting steady recovery in Japanese inbound tourism.
  • Japan remains one of the fastest-growing destinations for Australian travellers, while Australia continues to attract increasing numbers of Japanese visitors, supported by expanded flight routes and stronger tourism demand across both markets.

How many Australians visit Japan each year?

For the year ending June 2025, approximately 910,000 Australians visited Japan, around 30% more than the 700,000 visitors in 2024, and nearly triple the 310,000 recorded in 2023.

Annual Breakdown of Australians Visiting Japan (Year ending June):

  • 2025: 910,000 visitors (+30% from 2024)
  • 2024: 700,000 visitors (+125.8% from 2023).
  • 2023: 310,000 visitors (+3,000% from 2022).
  • 2022: 10,000 visitors.
  • 2019: 480,000 visitors.

Australian travel to Japan for the year ending June 2025 far exceeded pre-pandemic levels (previously around 380k–480k). Popular destinations continue to include Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Hokkaido.

Bar chart showing the number of Australian visitors to Japan (in thousands) each year ending June from 2014 to 2025.

How many Japanese visit Australia each year?

In the year ending June 2025, around 397,000 Japanese residents visited Australia, up 10% from the 360,000 visitors in 2024, and more than double the 173,000 visitors in 2023 as tourism continued to recover.

Annual Breakdown of Japanese Residents Visiting Australia (Year ending June):

  • 2025: 397,100 visitors (+10% from 2024)
  • 2024: 360,120 visitors (+108% from 2023).
  • 2023: 173,150 visitors (-64.2% from 2019).
  • 2019: 484,300 visitors.

Visitor numbers from Japan have not yet returned to the 2017–2019 peak (428k–484k), but strong growth in 2024 and 2025 shows demand is rapidly rebounding. Popular destinations for Japanese travellers include Sydney, the Gold Coast, and the Great Barrier Reef.

Bar chart showing the number of Japanese resident visitors to Australia (in thousands) each year ending June from 2017 to 2025.

What are the top sources of visitors to Australia?

Australia recorded around 8.4 million international visitors in 2025 (year ending June).

The major countries contributing to Australia’s international tourism were:

  • New Zealand: 1,391,000 visits (16.6%)
  • China: 953,000 visits (11.4%)
  • United States: 715,000 visits (8.5%)
  • United Kingdom: 669,000 visits (8.0%)
  • India: 451,000 visits (5.4%)
  • Japan: 423,000 visits (5.0%)
  • Singapore: 397,000 visits (4.7%)
  • South Korea: 374,000 visits (4.4%)
  • Indonesia: 227,000 visits (2.7%)
  • Hong Kong: 221,000 visits (2.6%)
  • Visitors from Japan totalled 423,000 in the year ending June 2025, accounting for 5.0% of total arrivals and ranking 6th among Australia’s top source markets.
  • Australia’s annual averages for international arrivals typically range between 6 million and 9 million visitors.
Horizontal bar chart ranking the top source countries of tourists visiting Australia by number of visits and percentage share for the year ending June 2025.

What are the top sources of visitors to Japan?

Japan's oversea visitors with over 250,546 travellers in December 2024, South Korea remained the top destination for Japanese residents.

  • The United States ranked second with 166,105 visitors, followed by Taiwan (152,820) and Thailand (104,612).
  • Australia attracted 40,070 Japanese travellers, ranking 11th overall and serving as a key long-haul destination after the United States and Europe.

Where do Australians travel most?

In 2025 (year ending June), Indonesia remained the most visited overseas destination for Australians, with 1.74 million travellers, continuing its strong lead as the top international choice.

  • New Zealand followed as the second most visited destination, attracting 1.40 million Australian travellers, maintaining its long-standing position as a favourite for short-haul holidays.
  • Japan rose to become the third most popular destination, welcoming 910,640 Australians as interest in cultural travel, food, and winter sports continued to surge.
  • The United States ranked fourth with 746,220 Australian visitors, while China rounded out the top five at 652,950 travellers, reflecting the steady return of travel links between the two countries.
Ranked chart of the top five overseas destinations for Australian travellers by total visits for the year ending June 2025.

Where do Japanese travel most?

According to the December 2024 travel records, Japanese residents travelled most frequently to South Korea, with 250,546 visitors, making it the top international destination for Japanese travellers.

  • The United States ranked second with 166,105 travellers, followed closely by Taiwan, which welcomed 152,820 visitors from Japan.
  • Thailand placed fourth with 104,612 travellers, while Hawaii rounded out the top five with 70,825 Japanese visitors in December 2024.
  • While Australia remains a key long-haul destination, the majority of Japanese travellers prefer nearby countries in Asia.

Number of Japanese Travelers by top destination in December 2024

RankCountry and RegionNumber of Japanese Travellers
1Korea250,546
2U.S.A166,105
3Taiwan152,820
4Thailand104,612
5Hawaii70,825
6Germany69,786
7Spain67,243
8Hong Kong57,462
9Vietnam55,542
10Singapore43,006

Source · Note: Figures represent monthly snapshot data for December 2024 only.

References

  1. ABS: Overseas arrivals and departures, Australia · Australian Bureau of Statistics
  2. ABS: Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia (Jun 2024) · Australian Bureau of Statistics
  3. ABS: Indonesia overtakes New Zealand as top destination for Australian travellers · Australian Bureau of Statistics
  4. Stats NZ: International travel, June 2024 · stats.govt.nz
  5. Statistics on foreign visitors to Japan (JNTO) · jnto.go.jp
  6. Japanese outbound tourists statistics · tourism.jp