Tokyo: China has warned its citizens to avoid travel to Japan, citing security risks, as tensions between the two countries escalate over remarks by the Japanese leader on Taiwan.
According to Thai News Agency, China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Friday advising its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan in the current period. The statement emphasized that the Japanese leader's recent provocative remarks on the Taiwan issue have significantly deteriorated the atmosphere for people-to-people exchanges and pose serious risks to the safety of Chinese citizens in Japan. Chinese citizens are strongly advised to avoid traveling to Japan in the near future. Those already in Japan are advised to closely monitor the local security situation and enhance self-care. In the event of an emergency, they are urged to immediately report to the police and seek assistance from the Chinese embassy or consulate.
The latest tensions between China and Japan arose after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told parliament last week that a military attack on Taiwan could create a situation that threatened Japan's survival and could lead to the use of military force. This statement angered China, which summoned the Japanese ambassador to Beijing to protest the remarks and demanded that the Japanese leader withdraw her comments. China also warned Japan to stop playing with fire, adding that if Japan dared to intervene in the Taiwan Strait situation, it would be considered aggression and would suffer a crushing defeat. In response, the Japanese government summoned the Chinese ambassador to protest. However, the Japanese leader insisted that she would not retract her remarks, pointing out that they were in line with Japan's original policy, but she would be more cautious in commenting on specific situations in the future.
Japanese government data shows that nearly 7.5 million Chinese tourists visited Japan in the first nine months of 2025, the highest number among the 31.65 million foreign tourists visiting the country during the same period. China's six major airlines-Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, and Xiamen Air-announced on Saturday that passengers can refund or change tickets to Japan before December 31, 2025, free of charge.