Japan warns citizens in China about safety as diplomatic crisis deepens
The Japanese embassy in China has reminded citizens to respect local customs and be careful in their interactions with Chinese people.
People walking on the streets of Chongqing in the province of Sichuan, China. (File photo: iStock)
BEIJING: 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.
Takaichi sparked the most serious diplomatic clash in years between the two East Asian powers in years when she told Japanese lawmakers this month that a Chinese attack on Taiwan threatening Japan's survival could trigger a military response.
A senior Japanese official met his counterpart in Beijing on Tuesday (Nov 18) to try and tamp down the tension, but no breakthrough appeared imminent.
China's foreign ministry said it had pressed at the meeting for Takaichi to retract her remarks. But Japan's top government spokesperson, Minoru Kihara, suggested Tokyo was in no mood to do so.
The comments did "not alter the government's existing position", Kihara told a press conference on Tuesday, adding that the government hoped issues concerning Taiwan would be resolved peacefully through dialogue.
"We have made judgments based on comprehensive consideration of the security situation in the country or region, as well as its political and social conditions," Kihara said about the safety notice.
CHINESE STATE MEDIA TARGET TAKAICHI
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.
A Chinese diplomat in Japan responded to 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.
Takaichi was summoning Japan's "militarist demons", the official news agency Xinhua said, in the latest such attack on Tuesday.
In view of the media coverage in China, Japan's embassy there reminded citizens on Monday to respect local customs and take care in interactions with Chinese people.
It asked citizens to be aware of their surroundings when outside, advising them not to 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.
CHINA URGES AGAINST TRAVEL TO JAPAN
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, a step state broadcaster CCTV hailed on Monday as a "prudent decision" reflecting souring domestic sentiment.
Screening of some Japanese films originally set for release in the coming weeks, such as the animated "Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Super Hot! Scorching Kasukabe Dancers" and manga-turned-movie "Cells at Work!" will not begin in mainland China as scheduled, it added, citing industry checks.
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 Tuesday.
"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 Takaichi late on Monday and urged dialogue to resolve the diplomatic tension.
"Political stability is a prerequisite for economic exchange," Yoshinobu Tsutsui, chairman of Japan's biggest business lobby Keidanren, told reporters after the meeting, media said.
EFFORTS TO EASE TENSIONS
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.
On Sunday, 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 the 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 US 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 X.
This week's G20 summit in South Africa provided a potential forum to help ease tensions but China said its premier has no plans to meet Takaichi on the sidelines of the gathering.
Kihara said nothing has been decided about bilateral meetings during G20, but that Japan remains open to conducting "various dialogues" with China.
"ON A KNIFE'S EDGE"
Besides tourism, Japan is heavily dependent on China for its supply of critical minerals for everything 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 Tuesday.
"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 on Tuesday there had been no particular changes in China's export control measures on rare earths and other materials as of yet.
The heads of Japan's three business federations met with Takaichi late on Monday and urged dialogue to resolve the diplomatic tensions.
"Political stability is a prerequisite for economic exchange," Yoshinobu Tsutsui, chairman of Japan's biggest business lobby Keidanren, told reporters after the meeting, according to media reports.
Japan's refusal to retract its statements meant its de-escalatory efforts had 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."
