China has told its citizens to avoid travelling to Japan, upping the ante in its row with Tokyo after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested her country could deploy its military forces in the event of a cross-strait conflict.
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In a notice late on Friday night, China’s foreign ministry said the safety of its citizens in Japan had “continued to deteriorate”, citing a series of targeted attacks this year.
The ministry 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.
The foreign ministry called on Chinese citizens to avoid going to Japan “in the near term”.
Those already in Japan were advised to “closely monitor the local security situation, enhance safety awareness and strengthen self-protection measures”.
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China is one of the biggest sources of foreign tourists to Japan, with 7.48 million trips by Chinese travellers in the first nine months of this year, according to Japan Tourism Statistics.