Japan called on China to take “appropriate measures” on Saturday after Beijing warned Chinese citizens against traveling to Japan, the latest escalation in a diplomatic clash sparked by comments from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi regarding Taiwan.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Tokyo had “conveyed the message to China and strongly asked it to take appropriate actions,” according to Japanese media. He did not specify what measures Japan expected China to take.
The dispute marks a new flashpoint in already strained Sino-Japanese relations, showing growing regional unease over Taiwan’s security and China’s expanding military activities.
China’s travel advisory, released Friday, followed Takaichi’s remarks last week that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan — a designation that could legally pave the way for Japanese military support under national security law.
Beijing criticized the statement and urged its citizens to reconsider trips to Japan. In response, three major Chinese airlines announced Saturday that passengers could change or refund tickets to Japan at no cost, state media China News Service reported.
Taiwan’s Presidential Office said China’s restrictions and expanding military activities were drawing global attention to rising tensions.
Spokesperson Karen Kuo warned that Beijing’s “politically motivated, multifaceted threats against Japan pose a grave danger to security and stability in the Indo-Pacific.”
Her comments reflect growing concern in Taipei that China’s diplomatic and military pressure is increasingly aimed not only at Taiwan, but also at countries that voice support for the island.
Adding to the tensions, the China Maritime Safety Administration said live-fire exercises would take place in parts of the central Yellow Sea from Monday through Tuesday, with the area closed to civilian vessels. State broadcaster CCTV reported the drills but did not specify the exact location.
Japan and China have long disagreed over Taiwan’s status and over territorial claims in the East China Sea. Tokyo increasingly views a potential conflict over Taiwan as directly affecting its own national security, citing proximity, trade routes, and its partnership with the United States.
Africa Digital News, New York
