China Advises Citizens to Avoid Travel to Japan After Japanese PM Signals Possible Intervention Over Taiwan

China issues travel advisory as diplomatic tensions with Japan escalate

China has urged its citizens to avoid travelling to Japan after comments by Japan’s new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, on the possibility that Tokyo might deploy forces if China launched an attack on Taiwan. The dispute flared after Ms. Takaichi told Japan’s parliament on 7 November that use of force against the self-ruled island — which Beijing claims as its territory — could justify a Japanese military response.

Beijing denounced the remarks as provocative and said it had summoned Japan’s ambassador to lodge a protest. Tokyo replied by summoning China’s ambassador following an “inappropriate” social media post by a Chinese consul general in Osaka that was later removed and which Japanese officials said appeared to threaten the prime minister.

“Recently, Japanese leaders have made blatantly provocative remarks regarding Taiwan, severely damaging the atmosphere for people-to-people exchanges,” read a WeChat post by China’s embassy in Japan, which warned of "significant risks to the personal safety and lives of Chinese citizens in Japan." The post urged Chinese nationals to avoid travelling to Japan in the near future.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, Minoru Kihara, said Beijing’s advisory was "inconsistent with the promotion of a strategic and mutually beneficial relationship," and Tokyo has reportedly asked China to take appropriate measures to calm the situation.

In a related move, China’s largest carriers — Air China, China Southern and China Eastern — announced they would allow free refunds or changes for Japan-bound flights booked through 31 December. The airlines said the policy applies to tickets for immediate changes or refunds for flights operated to and from Japan during the specified period.

Beijing maintains that Taiwan — which Japan administered until 1945 and lies about 110 km (70 miles) from Japan’s nearest island — is part of China and has not ruled out using force. While China and Japan are major trading partners, historical mistrust, territorial disputes and military developments continue to strain ties.

A spokesperson for Taiwan’s Presidential Office, Karen Kuo, said China’s travel advisory and announced live-fire drills have focused attention on regional tensions. She warned that 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 announced live-fire exercises in parts of the central Yellow Sea to be conducted around the clock from Monday through Tuesday, with entry to the area prohibited, according to state media CCTV; the announcement did not specify exact coordinates.

Context and implications

Tokyo has long practised a degree of "strategic ambiguity" on Taiwan, often avoiding explicit public pledges about how it would respond in a crisis — a stance broadly aligned with the United States. The recent public comments by Japan’s prime minister and the swift diplomatic exchanges underline how sensitive the issue of Taiwan remains for regional security and for bilateral relations between two of Asia’s largest economies.