The suspension of Chinese group tours amid the coronavirus outbreak is taking a toll on major Japanese department stores.
Five major chains report plunging tax-free sales to foreign shoppers during the January 24 to 30 Lunar New Year holiday period.
Sogo & Seibu suffered a plunge of about 15 percent compared with last year.
Takashimaya saw a drop of 14.7 percent.
Tax-free sales at Isetan Mitsukoshi fell about 10 percent.
Sales at Hankyu Hanshin's central Tokyo store slipped about 10 percent. And they were down about 5 percent at Daimaru Matsuzakaya.
Travelers from mainland China accounted for about one-third of the total spending by foreign visitors to Japan last year.
