China-Japan distrust has been tough to shake. Tourism might be the best chance.

Kazuro Inagaki is a bit of an anomaly in the world of Tokyo rickshaw pullers.

Until recently, he didn’t advertise the fact that he had spent four years living in Beijing and spoke fluent Mandarin. But now, as he hustles for business outside the Senso-ji Buddhist temple on a chilly afternoon, it has become his strongest asset.

The ranks of mainland Chinese visitors coming to Japan nearly tripled last year to 7 million, chipping away at decades of antagonism between the countries and helping make 2024 a banner year for tourism. Tourism spending is now Japan’s second-biggest export category after cars, and has surpassed electronic components and steel.