China urges travel agencies to cut Japan-bound visitors by 40%, say sources

TOKYO – China has urged domestic travel agencies to reduce the number of Japan-bound tourists by 40 per cent, industry sources said on Dec 25, amid a Beijing-Tokyo row over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on a Taiwan contingency.

Major travel agencies in China were told in late November to cut the number of Japan visa applications by 40 per cent following

Ms Takaichi’s Nov 7 parliamentary remarks

that suggested an attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, possibly involving its defence forces, the sources said.

In mid-November, the

Chinese government called on its citizens

to avoid visiting Japan, saying Ms Takaichi’s comments had ruined the atmosphere for people-to-people exchanges and increased risks to the safety of Chinese people in Japan.

Chinese nationals need to obtain visas to visit Japan and apply for them through designated travel agencies in China.

According to Chinese media reports, more than 1,900 Japan-bound flights, or over 40 per cent of the total, were cancelled in China in December, while 2,195 flights will be scrapped in January, also about 40 per cent.

In recent years, Japan was listed as one of the most popular destinations for Chinese travellers. But it is not among the top 10 popular overseas locations during the winter holidays in January and February 2026, local media said. KYODO NEWS