Sino-Japanese relations remain tense, with a decrease in Chinese tourists visiting, leading to a continued decline in January duty-free sales in Japan.

"The relationship with China remains tense, and Japan's duty-free sales further decline," Bloomberg reported on the 2nd. In January, duty-free sales at top department stores in Japan once again dropped, highlighting the damage to the retail industry as the number of Chinese tourists visiting decreases due to the tense situation between China and Japan. According to the Nikkei on the 2nd, duty-free sales at major Japanese stores Mitsukoshi Isetan dropped by 12.5% in January, Takashimaya by 18.9%, Daimaru Matsuzakaya by 16.6%, and Hankyu Hanshin Department Store by nearly 20%. Japanese media analysis suggests that in addition to the impact of the Chinese government advising people to avoid traveling to Japan, the shift of the Chinese New Year holiday from January to February this year has also caused a disruption.