Chinese language vacationers shun Japan over lunar new yr vacation as rift deepens | Japan

Chinese language vacationers are persevering with to shun Japan in giant numbers, with the nation falling out of the highest 10 locations for these celebrating the lunar new yr with a visit overseas.

Japan has had a dramatic drop within the variety of Chinese language guests for the reason that finish of final yr as a diplomatic row between Tokyo and Beijing over the safety of Taiwan continues.

Chinese language tourism to Japan, the place a weak forex helps gas a tourism increase, nearly halved in December in contrast with the identical interval in 2025, Japan’s transport ministry mentioned.

The pattern appears to be like set to proceed, months after Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, urged her nation’s self-defence forces might be deployed if China tried to invade Taiwan.

China claims the self-governing democracy as a part of its personal territory and has vowed to unite it with the mainland, by power if mandatory.

Takaichi’s remarks led to an offended response in China, the place officers urged vacationers and college students to not journey to Japan.

South Korea is predicted to develop into the preferred abroad vacation spot for Chinese language travellers in the course of the 40-day journey frenzy, with an estimated 250,000 anticipated to go to, up 1.5 occasions from the earlier yr.

Japan will welcome fewer folks from China than different nations within the area, together with Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and Russia, in keeping with media reviews. As an alternative, the variety of Chinese language vacationers visiting Japan in the course of the lunar new yr holidays is predicted to fall by as much as 60% from the earlier yr.

The dispute over Taiwan has intensified since Takaichi informed MPs in November that navy involvement was an choice if a disaster within the Taiwan Strait posed an “existential” risk to Japan.

Her refusal to again down has invited extra criticism from China, together with its international minister, Wang Yi, who this week accused Takaichi of making an attempt to revive Japan’s militarist previous.

Wang informed the Munich Safety Convention on Monday: “Japanese folks ought to not permit themselves to be manipulated or deceived by these far-right forces, or by those that search to revive militarism.

“All peace-loving nations ought to ship a transparent warning to Japan: if it chooses to stroll again on this path, it’s going to solely be heading towards self-destruction.”

In response, Japan protested via diplomatic channels, whereas the international ministry in Tokyo condemned Wang’s claims as “factually incorrect and ungrounded”.

“Japan’s efforts to strengthen its defence capabilities are in response to an more and more extreme safety atmosphere and will not be directed in opposition to any particular third nation,” the ministry mentioned in an announcement.

It mentioned there have been “nations within the worldwide group which have been quickly growing their navy capabilities in a non-transparent method”, however added that “Japan opposes such strikes and distances itself from them”.

Liu Xiaoming, China’s particular consultant on Korean peninsula affairs, upped the ante when he mentioned Takaichi’s remarks have been proof of Japan’s “unextinguished ambition to invade and colonise Taiwan as soon as once more, and the lingering ghost of revived militarism”.

In a submit on X that referenced Japan’s 1941 shock assault on Pearl Harbor, Liu added: “The teachings of historical past will not be far-off and should be heeded. If Japan refuses to repent and alter its methods, it’s going to inevitably repeat the identical tragic errors.”

Officers in Beijing have repeatedly warned travellers they face threats to their security in Japan, though there have been no reviews of incidents focusing on vacationers from China.

On Sunday, the Chinese language consulate common in Osaka once more urged Chinese language nationals to chorus from travelling to Japan after a deadly stabbing within the metropolis. The incident, during which a youngster was stabbed to dying and two others injured in a preferred vacationer space, didn’t contain Chinese language nationals.

Not all folks have heeded the official journey recommendation. A Chinese language man informed the Kyodo information company it was necessary to advertise goodwill between odd folks from each nations. One other, a lady from Shanghai, mentioned she nonetheless deliberate to go to Japan along with her mother and father. “The journey alert is geared toward selling criticism of Japan,” she informed Kyodo. “However my household has not been brainwashed.”

With Reuters