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China has advised its citizens to avoid travelling to Japan, escalating a diplomatic feud sparked by comments from Tokyo’s new prime minister about a hypothetical attack on Taiwan.
Sanae Takaichi told Japan’s parliament on 7 November that the use of force against the self-ruled island claimed by China could warrant a military response from Tokyo. Japan has since said its position on Taiwan – just 100km from the nearest Japanese island – is unchanged.
In a post online on Friday, China’s embassy in Japan warned its citizens against travelling to the country.
“Recently, Japanese leaders have made blatantly provocative remarks regarding Taiwan, severely damaging the atmosphere for people-to-people exchanges,” the WeChat post read.
The situation presented “significant risks to the personal safety and lives of Chinese citizens in Japan”, it added.
“The ministry of foreign affairs and the Chinese embassy and consulates in Japan solemnly remind Chinese citizens to avoid travelling to Japan in the near future.”
Beijing said it had summoned Japan’s ambassador, while Tokyo said it had summoned China’s ambassador after an “inappropriate” and now-removed online post from the Chinese consul general in Osaka, Xue Jian.
In the since-removed statement on social media, Xue posted about “(cutting) off that dirty neck”, apparently referring to Takaichi. Japan’s ruling party has since passed a resolution calling for the envoy to be declared persona non grata.
Beijing insists Taiwan – which Japan occupied for decades until 1945 – is part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to seize control. China and Japan are key trading partners, but historical mistrust and friction over territorial rivalries and military spending often test those ties.
Takaichi, a conservative and China hawk, has toned down her rhetoric since assuming office last month. But her comments last week that an armed attack on Taiwan could warrant sending troops to the island under “collective self-defence” have put the two countries at odds.
If an emergency in Taiwan entails “battleships and the use of force, then that could constitute a situation threatening the survival [of Japan], any way you slice it”, she said.
Security legislation passed in 2015 allows Japan to exercise the right to “collective self-defence” under certain conditions, including if there is a clear danger to the country’s survival.
Despite the escalating diplomatic spat, Takaichi has since indicated she has no intention of retracting her statement and insisted it was consistent with Tokyo’s longstanding policy. But she said she would refrain from referring to specific scenarios in the future.
Previous sitting Japanese prime ministers have avoided commenting directly on Taiwan’s defence, choosing instead to maintain so-called strategic ambiguity. The US has long been similarly deliberately ambiguous on whether it would deploy its military to defend Taiwan.
