Marked increase (up 51.1%) in foreign arrivals at Kumamoto Airport this year. -- Kirk

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Foreign Arrivals in Kyushu Rise 20.4% in July to 427,649, Helped by Weak Yen

September 4, 2026, 10:07 a.m.

The Kyushu District Transport Bureau announced that the number of foreign nationals entering Kyushu in July was 427,649, up 20.4% from the same month a year earlier, according to preliminary figures excluding cruise-ship passengers granted temporary shore leave.

The increase is believed to have been driven in part by the weak yen. This was the first time that the number of foreign arrivals in Kyushu in July exceeded 400,000.

By airport, Fukuoka Airport recorded 334,630 foreign arrivals, an increase of 16.3%, while Kumamoto Airport recorded 28,467, up 51.1%.

The runway at Kumamoto Airport was temporarily closed following the Kumamoto earthquake on July 28, but officials said it was unclear what effect the earthquake had on the number of foreign arrivals.

Meanwhile, the bureau also released finalized figures for May. The number of foreign arrivals that month was 501,401, down 5.8% from a year earlier.

Against the backdrop of worsening Japan-China relations, including the suspension of direct flights, the number of arrivals from China fell sharply by 84.9%, to 18,818.

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https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/local/kyushu/news/20260904-GYS1T00011/