Japan Dept. Store Sales Fall for 1st Time in 5 years

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–Department store sales in Japan in 2025 fell 1.5 pct from the previous year on a same-store basis, marking the first decline in five years, dampened by a plunge in spending by foreign visitors, industry data showed Friday. Total sales came to 5,675.4 billion yen, the Japan Department Stores Association said. Tax-free sales to visitors from abroad declined 12.7 pct to 566.7 billion yen. As the number of foreign visitors to Japan topped 40 million for the first time in 2025, the number of foreign shoppers at department stores exceeded 6.21 million, setting a record high. Spending per customer, however, was sluggish as demand shifted toward lower-priced consumables. Sales of items such as cosmetics and precious metals held firm, but luxury brand clothing and personal items struggled. In December alone, same-store department sales fell 1.1 pct from a year earlier, the first drop in five months. Total sales stood at 654.2 billion yen. Tax-free sales slid 17.1 pct to 51.9 billion yen, while the number of foreign shoppers fell 16.7 pct to 500,000. Both the number of visitors from mainland China and their spending dropped by about 40 pct, due apparently to the Chinese government’s call on its citizens to refrain from visiting Japan following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on a Taiwan contingency. With the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday approaching in February, Yoshiharu Nishisaka, managing director of the association, said, “We expect severe conditions to continue for the time being.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]