China discourages its citizens to go to Japan as tensions flare up between both countries

Traditionally, Japanese woman keep a low profile in a men’s dominated society. This is however not the case for Japan new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Elected PM in late October – the first time a woman in Japan holding the position– Takaichi takes reference to former British PM Margareth Thatcher and is considered an ultra-conservative and China hawk.

A dispute consequently erupted roughly a week ago, after Takaichi told Japan’s parliament that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would constitute a threat to Japan’s existence. In clear words, Japan would go on war against China by sending troops to support Taiwan. “If an emergency in Taiwan entails battleships and the use of force, then that could constitute a situation threatening our survival,” she declared.

China use of tourism as an economic weapon again and again

In a statement released Friday, China’s Foreign Ministry condemned “recent blatantly provocative remarks on Taiwan,” saying they had “further undermined the environment for people-to-people exchanges” and posed “additional risks to the safety and security of Chinese nationals in Japan.”

The ministry and its diplomatic missions “remind Chinese citizens to refrain from visiting Japan for the time being,” the notice said.

China once again uses tourism as an economic weapon by urging its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan. The advisory marks Beijing’s most pointed retaliation so far against remarks by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

While largely symbolic, the move underscores how readily China is willing to leverage its economic influence. It representes indeed a familiar tactic in China diplomatic playbook. In the past, the country already used the same political tool against Australia, Canada or South Korea.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that several major carriers such as Air China, China Eastern and China Southern quickly announced refund and rebooking options for passengers holding certain Japan-bound tickets. Many social media outlets called for a boycott and cancellation of travel to their neighbor.

Chinese tourism to Japan represents an important economic force. In 2024, 36.87 million foreign tourists came to Japan according to JTB Tourism Reasearch. From that number, 6.98 million came from Mainland China, representing a market share of 18.93%. If added to tourist arrivals from Hong Kong (2.68 million) and Macau (0.12 million) -both belonging to China, total tourist arrivals topped in 2024 close to 9.8 million. This represents then a market share of 26.4% of all inbound foreign movements to Japan.

Meanwhile, Japan welcomed nearly 7.5 million visitors from China between January and September 2025, reported Japan’s public broadcaster NHK.

Japan under fire from Chinese media and government’s officials

Despite the strong impact that a reduction in Chinese travelers could generate for Japan, Takaichi has since indicated she has no intention of retracting her statement. Japanese are also likely to boycott as well China and possibly Hong Kong following inflammatory comments from Chinese officials.

Prior to Covid, some 2.5 million Japanese travelers visited China while another million came to Hong Kong. They are no official figures for 2024. Japan statistics point only to 0.56 million Japanese travelers to Hong Kong last year.

On Friday, China’s Defense Ministry separately declared that Japan would “suffer a crushing defeat” if it attempted to intervene militarily in the Taiwan Strait. While China’s Consul General in Osaka, Xue Jian, posted on X on November 8 that “the dirty neck that sticks itself in must be cut off,” referring to Takaichi. The post was later deleted.

This Saturday, the People’s Liberation Army Daily published a commentary blasting Takaichi and warning that Japan would suffer a “head-on blow” if it intervened in the Taiwan Strait.

Tokyo has since responded by summoning China’s ambassador on Friday to protest what it called Xue’s “highly inappropriate remarks” and to demand corrective steps from Beijing. With deteriorating relations, Japan tourism could experience a real blow from Chinese travelers.

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