China has urged its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan, escalating a growing diplomatic dispute sparked by remarks from Japan’s prime minister about the status of Taiwan.
The advisory represents Beijing’s most pointed response so far to comments from Sanae Takaichi. Though largely symbolic, the move highlights Beijing’s readiness to use its economic influence to reinforce geopolitical positions, a tactic it has repeatedly employed in past regional disputes.
In a statement issued Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said recent “blatantly provocative remarks on Taiwan” had “further damaged the atmosphere for people-to-people exchanges… creating additional risks to the safety and security of Chinese citizens in Japan.”
The ministry added that it and its overseas missions “remind Chinese citizens to refrain from visiting Japan for the time being.”
The warning extends a diplomatic row that has lasted roughly a week, beginning after Takaichi told Japan’s parliament that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would amount to “a situation threatening Japan’s survival,” and could therefore trigger a potential military response from Tokyo.
Beijing considers Taiwan a part of its territory and has vowed to bring the island under its control, by force if necessary. Taiwan’s political status remains the most sensitive element of China’s foreign relations and is seen by Beijing as a “red line” that must not be crossed.
On Friday, China’s Ministry of Defense separately warned that Japan would “suffer a crushing defeat” if it attempted to intervene militarily in the Taiwan Strait.
From January to September this year, nearly 7.5 million Chinese tourists visited Japan, the highest figure of any nationality, according to data cited by Japanese broadcaster NHK.
The travel warning follows reciprocal diplomatic protests from both governments, with each summoning the other’s ambassador. It also comes amid an online backlash against Takaichi within China, where nationalist and anti-Japanese sentiment has intensified in recent years.
The dispute unfolds less than two weeks after Takaichi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first meeting at the sidelines of an international summit and pledged to pursue stable, constructive ties.
‘A Heavy Price’
Tensions were first stirred by China’s Consul General in Osaka, Xue Jian, who last Saturday reposted a news article about Takaichi’s remarks and commented, “the dirty neck that sticks itself in must be cut off,” in a message on X that has since been deleted.
State media later published a wave of critical commentaries, while social media users across China mocked and condemned Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister.
A commentary published Saturday by the People’s Liberation Army Daily accused Takaichi of escalating tensions and warned that if Japan intervened militarily in the Taiwan Strait, China would deliver a “head-on blow.”
A PLA-linked X account also posted messages translated into Japanese, saying Japan would “pay a heavy price” for such involvement.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry said it summoned China’s ambassador on Friday to protest Xue’s “highly inappropriate remarks” and to demand that Beijing take “appropriate actions.”
Beijing, for its part, summoned Japan’s ambassador a day earlier, with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong saying Takaichi’s comments had “seriously damaged the political foundation of China-Japan relations” and criticizing Tokyo for refusing to retract them.
Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Friday there was no need to withdraw Takaichi’s remarks, noting they were made within the framework of a discussion about an “existential crisis situation.”
Also on Friday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said “peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are important not only for Japan’s security but also for the stability of the international community.”
Takaichi on Monday described her previous comments as “hypothetical” and said she would avoid making similar statements in parliament going forward.
Past Japanese leaders have typically avoided linking Taiwan to discussions of potential military action. Meanwhile, the United States continues to follow a policy of “strategic ambiguity,” keeping its response to any possible invasion deliberately unclear.
As Beijing seeks to expand its influence and establish itself as the region’s dominant power, it remains cautious of the security alliance between Japan and the United States.
Takaichi has called for deepening defense ties with Washington and recently accelerated Japan’s military build-up, even as she must balance those moves with the country’s significant economic dependence on China.
