Chinese travelers have reportedly canceled hundreds of thousands of trips to Japan as tensions rise over comments made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi regarding Taiwan. The diplomatic dispute has led to suspended visa processing, postponed cultural exchanges, and widespread warnings from Chinese authorities advising students and tourists against traveling to Japan.
Several Chinese airlines, including the country’s three state carriers, announced free cancellations for travelers with Japan-bound flights. Analysts estimate that around 500,000 tickets were canceled between November 15 and 17. Airlines such as Sichuan Airlines and Spring Airlines have suspended or reduced flights to Japan, citing operational and planning reasons. China remains Japan’s second-largest source of tourists, and the cancellations have caused a slump in Japanese retail and travel sector stocks.
The travel disruptions coincide with broader economic and cultural measures. Chinese travel agencies have paused visa processing for Japan, local Japan-China cultural events have been canceled, and the release of an annual Japan-China survey was shelved at Beijing’s request. Japanese films in China, including Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, have been postponed or experienced declining box office sales due to public dissatisfaction with Takaichi’s statements.
Japan dispatched a senior diplomat to Beijing in an effort to ease tensions, while Japanese business groups have urged the Prime Minister to calm the situation, highlighting the link between political stability and economic exchange. Takaichi has refused to retract her remarks, which indicated that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could be treated as an existential threat to Japan, allowing the country to exercise self-defense under its constitution.
The dispute has intensified nationalist sentiment in China, with extensive coverage in state media and on social platforms. Japan has advised its citizens in China, numbering just over 100,000 in 2023, to exercise heightened caution, avoid crowded areas, and follow local laws. China’s foreign ministry assured that it will continue to protect the safety of foreign nationals within its borders.
The escalating tension underscores the fragility of China-Japan relations, with significant implications for tourism, cultural exchange, and broader economic cooperation between the two nations.