China has urged its citizens to avoid travelling to Japan, as a diplomatic dispute deepens over threats by new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on the possibility of deploying forces in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan.
The tension erupted after Takaichi told the Japanese parliament on November 7 that use of force against the self-ruled island claimed by China could warrant a military response from Tokyo.
Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its territory, denounced the remarks as a provocation. On Friday, Beijing said it had summoned Japan’s ambassador.
Tokyo in turn summoned China’s ambassador after an “inappropriate” and now-removed social media post by a Chinese consul general in Osaka appeared to threaten Takaichi.
Tokyo has since said its position on Taiwan, just 110km (70 miles) from the nearest Japanese island, is unchanged.
In an online post late on Friday, China’s embassy in Japan warned its citizens against travelling to the country.
“Recently, Japanese leaders have made blatantly provocative remarks regarding Taiwan, severely damaging the atmosphere for people-to-people exchanges,” the WeChat post said.
The situation presents “significant risks to the personal safety and lives of Chinese citizens in Japan”, it added.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese embassy and consulates in Japan solemnly remind Chinese citizens to avoid travelling to Japan in the near future,” the post said.
Reacting to the statement, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters on Saturday that Beijing’s call was “inconsistent with the promotion of a strategic and mutually beneficial relationship”, Jiji Press reported.
The Japanese government has requested the Chinese side to take “appropriate measures”, Jiji said.
In a further development on Saturday, China’s largest airlines offered full refunds for flights on Japan routes before the end of the year.
Air China, China Southern and China Eastern all published separate statements on the policies, which will allow ticket holders to refund or change Japan itineraries free of charge for flights from Saturday through December 31.
Beijing insists Taiwan, which Japan occupied for decades until 1945, is part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to seize control.
China and Japan are key trading partners, but historical mistrust and friction over territorial rivalries and military spending often test those ties.
Japanese leaders have previously avoided publicly mentioning Taiwan when discussing such scenarios, maintaining a “strategic ambiguity” also favoured by Tokyo’s main security ally, the United States.
A spokesperson for Taiwan’s Presidential Office, Karen Kuo, said Chinese travel restrictions on Japan and live-fire drills in surrounding areas have drawn attention to regional developments. She said Beijing’s “politically motivated, multifaceted threats against Japan pose a grave danger to security and stability in the Indo-Pacific”.
The China Maritime Safety Administration said live-fire exercises would be conducted in parts of the central Yellow Sea around the clock from Monday through Tuesday, and entry to the area would be prohibited, according to official media CCTV, which did not specify the area.
