China urges citizens to avoid visiting Japan over PM's Taiwan remarks

The Chinese government has urged its citizens to avoid visiting Japan as recent remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on country’s potential involvement in a Taiwan contingency grow into a wider diplomatic row. China’s Foreign Ministry said provocative comments by Japan’s leader have caused the atmosphere surrounding people-to-people exchanges to deteriorate severely, posing significant risks to the safety of Chinese people in Japan.

It also claimed that Japan has become less safe this year, calling on Chinese people who live in Japan to pay attention to the law and order situation in the country and remain vigilant so as not to fall victim to crimes. The travel alert, coming after a series of warnings to Japan from the Chinese government, appears to be part of Beijing’s effort to cast Tokyo as being responsible for heightening bilateral tensions because of its position toward China.

Prime Minister Takaichi had told a parliamentary committee session last week that a Chinese military attack on Taiwan could present a survival-threatening situation for Japan, possibly leading it to exercise its right to collective self-defense. - China on Friday summoned the Japanese ambassador in Beijing to protest Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent remarks on Taiwan, escalating tensions just weeks after she met with President Xi Jinping.

Meanwhile,the policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party said Saturday that the government should respond calmly to China's advisory urging its citizens to avoid visiting Japan, emphasizing the importance of stable bilateral ties. Takayuki Kobayashi told reporters, "We will continue dialogue and make efforts to build constructive and stable Japan-China relations," adding he also wants to confirm the reason behind China's move. Describing the bilateral relationship as "extremely important," Kobayashi said Japan's stance toward China remains unchanged. Chinese Consul General in Osaka Xue Jian posted on X that a "dirty neck" should be cut "without a moment of hesitation." Regarding Xue's comments, Kobayashi said they were "highly inappropriate," adding he had requested the government to "respond firmly."

Chinese tourists make up a significant portion of foreign visitors to Japan. Between January and September of this year, around 31.65 million foreigners visited Japan, of whom roughly 7.49 million were from China, the most by country or region, according to government data.