In the Year of the Black Rabbit, Japan-bound Crowds Surge... Is Japan's Unfavorability Dropping?

'Osaka 609%' Surge in Search Volume
Yen Depreciation and Low Inflation as 'Attractive Factors'
Decline in 'Hostile Perception' Toward Japan

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Since Japan significantly eased its COVID-19 quarantine measures last September, travel demand has surged, and interest in traveling to Japan continues this year. Previously, travel to Japan was favored due to the weak yen and low inflation, and the decline in unfavorable views toward Japan is also analyzed to have influenced the surge in travel demand.

Recently, travel agency Norangpungseon analyzed travel destinations and products using online weblog data, and Japan was identified as a popular region early this year.

According to Norangpungseon, the search volume increase rates for Japan package tours departing in January showed high figures such as Osaka at 609%, Kyushu at 403%, and Hokkaido at 365%. The regions with high actual booking rates also had a large share of Japan, with Japan Hokkaido (14.8%), Japan Kyushu (8.2%), T?rkiye (7.9%), Japan Osaka (6.8%), and Egypt (4.9%) in order.

On the morning of the 1st, the departure hall of Terminal 1 at Incheon International Airport is bustling with passengers setting off on their travels to welcome the New Year. Photo by Yonhap News

The Japanese government removed the daily entry cap and resumed visa-free entry for foreign tourists after last September, significantly easing the strengthened quarantine measures due to COVID-19. As a result, the number of Korean tourists traveling to Japan surged. According to Hanatour, among the 696.3 billion KRW overseas airline ticket sales in 2022, Osaka accounted for the highest share at 7.5%.

The explosive demand for travel to Japan is attributed to the pent-up overseas travel sentiment during the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with the attractiveness of Japan’s weak yen and low inflation to tourists.

The easing of anti-Japanese sentiment also appears to have influenced the surge in travel demand to Japan. Previously, after the Supreme Court’s ruling on compensation for forced labor victims during Japanese colonial rule was finalized, Japan imposed export restrictions on three semiconductor items in July 2019 as an 'economic retaliation.' In response, a boycott movement emerged in Korea, refusing to visit Japan or purchase Japanese products, reaching a peak of animosity toward Japan.

However, recently, the perception that personal consumption and political issues should be separated has grown, leading to some changes in negative views toward Japan.

On the 4th, citizens are praying with masks on at Kanda Myojin Shrine in Tokyo, Japan, to welcome the New Year. Kanda Myojin Shrine is frequently visited by worshippers wishing for luck and prosperity. Photo by Reuters·Yonhap News

On the 4th, market research firm Embrain Trend Monitor conducted a survey on awareness related to the Japan boycott movement and travel needs (targeting 1,000 adults aged 19-59 nationwide). The experience of participating in the Japan boycott movement was 60.0%, about 10% lower than the 71.8% in the same survey in 2020. Among those who had participated in the boycott, only 20.0% responded that they are still actively participating.

In particular, unfavorable views toward Japan are gradually decreasing. In previous surveys, agreement rates for statements such as 'I cannot forget the cultural and historical damages caused by Japan in the past,' 'I get angry just thinking about Japan,' and 'I consider Japan a hostile country' were 80.3%, 55%, and 49.9%, respectively. In this survey, these negative perceptions decreased to 71.0%, 38.4%, and 36.1%, respectively.

Trend Monitor explained, "Many people were feeling fatigued by the prolonged boycott movement, and a social atmosphere has formed where individual preferences should be respected regardless of the social climate," adding, "The long 'No Japan Movement' (boycott of Japanese travel and products) is coming to an end, and many are focusing their attention on whether Korea-Japan relations will enter a new phase."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.