Lead: China on Friday advised its citizens to avoid travel to Japan after Tokyo’s prime minister made remarks about Taiwan that Beijing called highly provocative. The advisory, issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry and its missions, is the most tangible retaliatory step so far in a week-long diplomatic dispute and follows public and official condemnations on both sides. Beijing said the comments increased risks to the safety of Chinese nationals in Japan and damaged people-to-people ties. Japan and China have each summoned the other’s ambassador amid a surge of nationalist rhetoric and media commentary.
Key Takeaways
- China’s Foreign Ministry and Chinese missions told citizens on Friday to refrain from visiting Japan, framing the advisory as a safety measure tied to recent remarks about Taiwan.
- The advisory followed comments by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute an existential threat to Japan and potentially trigger a Japanese response.
- China’s Ministry of Defense warned that Japan would “suffer a crushing defeat” if it militarily intervened in the Taiwan Strait, heightening military rhetoric.
- Between January and September 2025, roughly 7.5 million travelers from China visited Japan—the largest single-country source of visitors, according to NHK-cited data.
- Diplomatic escalations included Japan summoning China’s ambassador and China summoning Japan’s ambassador within days of each other.
- China’s Consul General in Osaka, Xue Jian, triggered a separate wave of outrage after a now-deleted social-media post that used violent language about Takaichi.
- Takaichi later described her comments as hypothetical and said she would refrain from repeating them in parliament, while Tokyo declined to demand a retraction.
Background
Beijing regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has consistently warned external actors against actions it perceives as supporting Taiwanese independence. Taiwan’s status is the most sensitive diplomatic issue for China; officials often call it a “red line” for foreign interference. Japan, geographically proximate and allied closely with the United States, has historically treaded carefully when discussing Taiwan to avoid direct confrontation.
Economic interdependence between China and Japan runs deep: tourism, trade and investment are significant links that have traditionally tempered political flare-ups. Recent years have seen a rise in nationalist sentiment in China and occasional spikes in anti-Japanese rhetoric, which can complicate diplomatic recoveries after controversies. Previous Japanese leaders have largely avoided framing Taiwan in terms of a domestic military response, while the United States maintains “strategic ambiguity” about how it would respond to a cross-strait invasion.
Main Event
The episode began when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, responding to a parliamentary question, said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could amount to a threat to Japan’s survival and might justify a military response by Tokyo. Beijing immediately condemned the remark as “blatantly provocative” and damaging to bilateral ties. The Chinese Foreign Ministry published a statement on Friday urging caution and citing increased risks to Chinese citizens in Japan.
Shortly afterward, China’s consular network and state media amplified the criticism. China’s Consul General in Osaka, Xue Jian, reposted an article about the remarks and added a now-deleted post that used inflammatory language; Japanese officials called the wording unacceptable and summoned Beijing’s ambassador to protest. Beijing, in turn, summoned Japan’s ambassador a day earlier, with Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong saying Takaichi’s comments had seriously harmed the political foundation of bilateral relations.
On the security front, a commentary in the People’s Liberation Army Daily and postings from PLA-affiliated accounts warned Japan against intervening in the Taiwan Strait. China’s Ministry of Defense separately issued a statement saying Japan would face a “crushing defeat” if it intervened militarily—language that elevated the diplomatic spat into a security confrontation. Tokyo’s government, including Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, framed their responses around the need for regional stability while stopping short of retracting Takaichi’s parliamentary remarks.
Analysis & Implications
Politically, the advisory signals that Beijing is prepared to leverage non-military tools—public warnings, diplomatic protests and economic pressure—to register displeasure. Travel advisories can be both symbolic and material: even if intended mainly as a deterrent, they can reduce tourist flows, strain service-sector actors in Japan, and signal to business audiences that bilateral ties are fraying.
Economically, a sustained hit to people-to-people exchanges would affect sectors beyond tourism, including retail, hospitality and cultural exchanges. With about 7.5 million Chinese visitors reported through September 2025, a prolonged reduction could impose measurable local losses in key prefectures that rely on inbound tourism from China.
From a security standpoint, the episode underscores how rhetoric about Taiwan can quickly escalate into strategic messaging from defense establishments. The Ministry of Defense’s harsh phrasing increases uncertainty for policymakers in Tokyo and Washington and may push Japanese leaders to calibrate defense posture and bilateral coordination with the United States.
Diplomatically, the clash complicates any near-term efforts to stabilize ties. The fact that Takaichi met Chinese leader Xi Jinping less than two weeks earlier and discussed constructive relations suggests the incident was not driven by an absence of channels for dialogue—but rather by the sensitivity of Taiwan and domestic political pressures on both sides.
Comparison & Data
| Metric | 2023 | Jan–Sep 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese visitors to Japan | 6.2 million (annual) | ~7.5 million |
| Diplomatic summons (this incident) | — | Each country summoned the other’s ambassador |
| Official travel advisory | Occasional | Advisory issued by Chinese Foreign Ministry (Fri) |
The table places the 2025 visitor figure in context: Chinese tourists were already a leading source of inbound travelers to Japan, and the elevated 7.5 million figure through September suggests tourism is a key leverage point. While diplomatic summons are a frequent tool to express displeasure, a coordinated advisory across foreign missions elevates the dispute into public-policy space with economic consequences.
Reactions & Quotes
Japanese officials emphasized stability while defending parliamentary speech norms. Tokyo summoned China’s ambassador to protest inflammatory social-media comments from a Chinese consul general and demanded corrective action.
We remind Chinese citizens to refrain from visiting Japan for the time being, given risks to safety and the damaged atmosphere for people-to-people exchanges.
Chinese Foreign Ministry (official statement)
This official line framed the advisory as a protective, public-safety measure rather than a punitive economic sanction. Japanese ministers pushed back but stopped short of ordering a retraction of parliamentary remarks.
These comments were made in a hypothetical context; there is no need to retract them, as they were part of a discussion on existential-crisis scenarios.
Toshimitsu Motegi, Japan’s Foreign Minister
Defense and military outlets hardened their rhetoric, warning Tokyo about the costs of intervening in cross-strait contingencies—statements that analysts say increase strategic risk even if they are intended partly for domestic audiences.
If Japan intervenes in the Taiwan Strait it would suffer a crushing defeat.
China’s Ministry of Defense (statement)
Unconfirmed
- Whether the advisory will be temporary or extended beyond the near term has not been specified by Chinese authorities.
- Attribution of the consul general’s deleted social-media post to an official Beijing directive remains unproven; the post has been removed and motives unclear.
- Any concrete plans by either side for economic retaliation beyond publicity measures have not been publicly confirmed.
Bottom Line
The travel advisory marks Beijing’s most consequential public response to date to Takaichi’s Taiwan-related remarks: symbolic in signaling resolve, but also potentially material because it targets a major source of Japanese tourism and public engagement. Even if the advisory is temporary, it demonstrates how quickly political rhetoric on Taiwan can bleed into economic and social domains.
For Tokyo, the incident raises hard choices about balancing national security concerns, alliance coordination with the United States and economic ties with China. For Beijing, the episode underscores both its sensitivity on Taiwan and its willingness to use non-military levers to shape regional behavior. Observers should watch whether the advisory is enforced, expanded or rescinded, and whether bilateral channels reopen to manage fallout.
Sources
- CNN — News report summarizing the advisory, diplomatic moves and related developments (media).
- NHK World — Japanese public broadcaster; cited for tourism and visitor statistics (public broadcaster).
- Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Official statements and travel-safety notices (official government).
- China Military Online / PLA Daily — Military commentary and related postings cited in state media (state-affiliated media).
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan — Tokyo’s diplomatic responses and official statements (official government).