China has advised its citizens to avoid travelling to Japan, escalating a diplomatic standoff triggered by comments from Japan’s new prime minister about a potential attack on Taiwan.
The row began after comments by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on November 7, widely interpreted as suggesting that a strike on Taiwan — the self-ruled island claimed by China and located roughly 100 kilometres from Japan’s nearest island — could prompt a military response by Tokyo.
Beijing said on Friday that it had summoned Japan’s ambassador to deliver a formal rebuke.
Tokyo, in turn, summoned China’s ambassador over what it described as an "inappropriate" online post, which has since been removed.
Japan has insisted that its position on Taiwan remains unchanged.
Late on Friday, China’s embassy in Japan issued an online advisory urging Chinese nationals to reconsider travel plans.
"Recently, Japanese leaders have made blatantly provocative remarks regarding Taiwan, severely damaging the atmosphere for people-to-people exchanges," the embassy said on its official WeChat account.
The post warned that the situation poses "significant risks to the personal safety and lives of Chinese citizens in Japan."
"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," it added.
Beijing maintains that Taiwan — which was under Japanese occupation until 1945 — is part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to take the island.
