Japan warns citizens in China about safety as diplomatic crisis deepens

TOKYO – Japan has warned its citizens in China to step up safety precautions and avoid crowded places amid a deepening dispute between Asia’s two largest economies over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan.

Ms Takaichi sparked the most serious diplomatic clash in years when she told Japanese lawmakers in October that a Chinese attack on Taiwan threatening Japan’s survival

could trigger a military response

.

The Nov 18 advisory came as a senior Japanese envoy arrived in Beijing for a meeting to try and tamp down the tension, although no breakthrough appeared imminent.

China’s Foreign Ministry said it had pressed at the meeting for Ms Takaichi to retract her remarks, but Japan’s top government spokesperson suggested Tokyo was in no mood to do so, as they were in line with its longstanding view.

“Regarding Prime Minister Takaichi’s response... It does not alter the government’s existing position,” Mr Minoru Kihara told a press conference, when asked if Japan planned to retract the comments.

The government hoped that issues concerning Taiwan would be resolved peacefully through dialogue, he added.

Beijing claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own and has not ruled out using force to take control of the island. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s claims and says only its people can decide the island’s future.

A Chinese diplomat in Japan responded to Ms Takaichi’s remarks by posting a threatening comment aimed at her on social media. That drew a strong rebuke from Tokyo, though it failed to stem vitriolic commentary against her in Chinese state media.

Ms Takaichi was summoning Japan’s “militarist demons”, the official news agency Xinhua said in the latest such attack on Nov 18.

Noting the media coverage in China, the Japanese embassy there reminded citizens on Nov 17 to respect local customs and be careful in their interactions with Chinese people.

It also asked them to be aware of their surroundings when outside, advising them to not travel alone and urging extra caution when travelling with children.

“If you see a person or group that looks even slightly suspicious, do not approach them and leave the area immediately,” the embassy notice said.

The dispute could deal a blow to Japan’s economy, as Beijing has urged its citizens not to travel there.

Chinese form the largest number of all tourists to Japan, accounting for nearly a quarter, official figures show. Tourism-related stocks in Japan plunged on the news.

More than 10 Chinese airlines, such as Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines, have offered refunds on Japan-bound routes until Dec 31, while Sichuan Airlines has cancelled plans for a Chengdu-Sapporo route until at least March, state media said.

Film distributors have also

suspended the screening

of at least two Japanese films in China amid the deepening dispute between Tokyo and Beijing, in what Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said late on Nov 17 is a “prudent decision” that takes into account souring domestic audience sentiment.

Some Japanese films – including the animated Crayon Shin-chan The Movie: Super Hot! The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers and manga-turned-movie Cells At Work! – originally slated for release in the coming weeks, will not begin screening in mainland China as scheduled, CCTV said, citing checks with film importers and distributors.

Apart from tourism, Japan is heavily dependent on China for supply of critical minerals used in items from electronics to cars.

“If we rely too heavily on a country that resorts to economic coercion the moment something displeases it, that creates risks not only for supply chains but also for tourism,” Japan’s Economic Security Minister Kimi Onoda told a press conference on Nov 18.

“We need to recognise that it’s dangerous to be economically dependent on somewhere that poses such risks,” she added, responding to a question about China’s calls for its citizens to avoid travel to Japan.

Japan’s Trade Minister Ryosei Akazawa said there had been no particular changes yet in China’s export control measures on rare earths and other materials.

The heads of Japan’s three business federations met Ms Takaichi late on Nov 17 and urged dialogue to resolve the diplomatic tension.

“Political stability is a prerequisite for economic exchange,” Mr Yoshinobu Tsutsui, chairman of Japan’s biggest business lobby Keidanren, told reporters after the meeting, media said.

On a knife’s edge

Taiwan sits just over 110km from Japanese territory, and the waters around the island provide a vital sea route for trade that Tokyo depends on.

Japan also hosts the largest contingent of US military overseas.

On Nov 16, Chinese coast guard ships sailed through waters around a group of East China Sea islands controlled by Japan but claimed by China. Japan’s coast guard said it drove the Chinese ships away.

The US does not formally recognise the islands – known as Senkaku in Tokyo and Diaoyu in Beijing – as Japanese sovereign territory, but since 2014 has said it would be obliged to defend them if attacked, under the Japan-US security treaty.

“In case anyone was in doubt, the United States is fully committed to the defence of Japan, which includes the Senkaku Islands. And formations of Chinese coast guard ships won’t change that,” US Ambassador to Japan George Glass said on social media platform X.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a press conference on Nov 18 that Mr Glass’ remarks were a “political show with ulterior motives”.

This week’s Group of 20 (G-20) summit in South Africa provided a potential forum to help ease tensions, but China said its Premier has no plans to meet Ms Takaichi on the sidelines of the gathering.

Mr Kihara said nothing has been decided about bilateral meetings during G-20, but that Japan remains open to conducting “various dialogues” with China.

Japan’s refusal to retract its statements means its de-escalatory efforts have failed to mollify Beijing, Cornell University’s China foreign policy expert Allen Carlson said. “As a result, the two countries now stand on a knife’s edge.” REUTERS