Tokyo — Japan said Monday that it had scrambled aircraft after detecting a suspected Chinese drone near its southern island of Yonaguni, which is close to Taiwan, on Saturday, as tension between the Asian adversaries spiked.
On Sunday, Chinese coast guard vessels spent several hours in Japan’s territorial waters around the disputed Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu in China and a frequent flashpoint, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said.
The incidents came amid escalating tension between the neighbors over remarks by Japan’s staunchly conservative new leader, who suggested Tokyo could intervene militarily in any hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan.
Mainland China and territory controlled by the Chinese government is shown in yellow, while territory claimed by, but uncontrolled by Beijing, including Taiwan, is depicted in brown on this map. / Credit: Getty/iStock
Beijing insists Taiwan — which Japan occupied for decades until its 1945 defeat in World War II — is part of its territory, and the prime minister’s comments have sparked outrage among Chinese officials.
Japanese leader’s controversial remarks about China and Taiwan
Before taking power last month, Prime Minister Senae Takaichi, 64, was a vocal critic of China and its military build-up in the Asia-Pacific.
If a Taiwan emergency entails “battleships and the use of force, then that could constitute a situation threatening the survival (of Japan),” she told parliament on November 7. Under Japan’s self-imposed domestic rules, an existential threat is one of the few cases where it can act militarily. Taiwan sits around 60 miles from the nearest Japanese island.
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi answers a question during a session of the House of Councillors Budget Committee at the National Diet (parliament) in Tokyo, Nov. 12, 2025. / Credit: KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty
In response to Takaichi’s remarks, a Chinese diplomat stationed in Japan threatened to “cut off that dirty neck,” apparently referring to Takaichi, as China and Japan summoned each other’s ambassadors.
In Beijing, tech worker Daniel Feng called the Chinese government’s responses “very restrained” given Takaichi’s “extremely unreasonable” remarks.
“If she spouts words, that’s not a problem … but if they take real action, our country’s military will definitely defeat them,” the 40-year-old told AFP.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te called on Beijing on Monday to “show restraint, act like a major power, and not become the troublemaker” in the Asia-Pacific region, where peace and stability have been “severely impacted.”
“China should return to the path of a rules-based international order, which would help maintain peace, stability and prosperity in the region,” Lai told reporters.
Beijing, meanwhile, said Chinese premier Li Qiang had no plans to meet with Takaichi at the G20 summit in South Africa later this week, which they are both set to attend.
A Japanese government official told AFP that Masaaki Kanai, the top foreign ministry official for Asia-Pacific affairs, arrived in China on Monday.
“We are trying not to escalate the situation,” the official told AFP.
Economic impact as Asian economic giants feud
Beijing also advised its citizens over the weekend to avoid travelling to Japan, and warned the roughly 100,000 Chinese students in the country that there were alleged risks to their safety.
Cabinet chief Kihara told reporters on Monday that the announcements were “incompatible with the broader direction agreed upon by the leaders of the two nations.”
Japanese tourism and retail shares dived on Monday after China urged its citizens to avoid the neighboring nation’s tourist hotspots.
Asia’s two top economies are closely entwined, with China the biggest source of tourists — almost 7.5 million visitors in the first nine months of 2025 — coming to Japan.
Drawn by a weak yen making shopping cheaper, they collectively splurged more than a billion dollars a month in the third quarter, accounting for almost 30% of all tourist spending.
A Chinese tour group walks past a Shiseido store in Tokyo, Nov. 17, 2025. / Credit: GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty
Japan was also the fourth-most popular destination for Chinese tourists last year, helping the land of Mount Fuji, sushi and geishas set new records for foreign arrivals. But in fears that this may now stop, investors wiped 9% off Japanese cosmetics firm Shiseido’s market value on Monday.
Department store group Mitsukoshi fell 11.3% and Pan Pacific, behind discount retail chain and tourist magnet Don Quijote, slid 5.3%.
Japan Airlines, whose shares nosedived 3.4%, has not seen any major cancellations on flights to and from China, a spokesperson told AFP.
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