Airlines offer Japan flight refunds as row over Takaichi’s Taiwan comments grows

China’s biggest airlines have offered full refunds for flights to Japan after Beijing told Chinese citizens to avoid travel to the country, marking an escalation in a row over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion that Tokyo could deploy its military forces in a cross-strait conflict.

Air China, China Southern and China Eastern published separate statements on Saturday saying they would allow ticket holders to refund or change their itineraries for free for flights between Saturday and December 31.

The policies only apply to tickets bought before noon on Saturday.

The announcement came hours after China’s foreign ministry issued a warning late on Friday night asking Chinese tourists to avoid travel to Japan.

The ministry’s statement said the safety of its citizens in Japan had “continued to deteriorate”, citing a series of targeted attacks this year.

The ministry also said the Japanese leader had made provocative remarks on Taiwan-related issues, severely undermining the atmosphere for Sino-Japanese exchanges and posing significant risks to the safety of Chinese citizens in Japan.