China urged its people to stay away from Japan and issued a series of stern warnings as the diplomatic spat sparked by Sanae Takaichi’s comments about Taiwan threatened to derail bilateral ties.
The Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday that the new Japanese prime minister’s “blatantly provocative remarks on Taiwan” had “further damaged the atmosphere for people-to-people exchanges, creating additional risks to the safety and security of Chinese citizens” in the East Asian country, CNN reported. It reminded citizens to “refrain from visiting Japan for the time being”.
Beijing and Tokyo have traded protests throughout the week in a dispute that has revived longstanding tensions and underscored China’s sensitivity around Taiwan.
China regards Taiwan as a breakaway province that must eventually be reunited with the mainland – by force if needed – and is lately stepping up military pressure around the island.
The diplomatic row erupted last week when an opposition MP pressed Ms Takaichi on what kind of situation around Taiwan might constitute a threat to Japan’s survival.
“If there are battleships and the use of force, no matter how you think about it, it could constitute a survival-threatening situation,” she replied.
A “survival-threatening situation” is a legal category under a 2015 security law that allows the Japanese military to operate as if an attack on a close partner – typically understood to mean the US – poses an existential danger to Japan.
Tokyo historically avoided saying how it might respond if China were to deploy force against Taiwan, maintaining a form of strategic ambiguity similar to that practised by Washington.
Beijing promptly condemned Ms Takaichi’s remarks as “egregious”, and China’s consul general in Osaka, Xue Jian, amplified tensions by writing on X that “the dirty head that sticks itself in must be cut off”.
The post, interpreted as a threat, was deleted soon after Tokyo lodged a formal protest, with chief cabinet secretary Minoru Kihara calling the message “highly inappropriate”.
In spite of the uproar, Ms Takaichi refused to retract her statement, insisting it aligned with Japan’s official position. Ms Takaichi, a protégé of late prime minister Shinzo Abe, is known for her hawkish views on China and longstanding support for Taiwan.
China escalated its response on Thursday. The foreign ministry warned in Japanese and English that Tokyo should “stop playing with fire”, calling any intervention in the Taiwan Strait an “act of aggression”. “If Japan dares to attempt an armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait situation, it would be an act of aggression and definitely meet a firm response from China,” ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said, according to The Japan Times. “We will firmly exercise our right to self-defence under the UN Charter and international law and defend China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Vice foreign minister Sun Weidong summoned ambassador Kenji Kanasugi, saying Ms Takaichi’s remarks were “extremely wrong and dangerous” and demanding they be withdrawn. State media quoted Mr Sun as saying that “otherwise all consequences must be borne by Japan”.
“Anyone who dares to interfere in China’s reunification cause in any form will surely be dealt a heavy blow,” Mr Sun was quoted as telling the envoy by The Japan Times.
He also said Ms Takaichi’s comments violated international norms and seriously hurt the feelings of the Chinese people, Xinhua News reported.
He warned that Taiwan was the core of China’s core interests and an untouchable red line, asserting that the 1.4 billion Chinese people would never tolerate any interference in the matter. The nationalist tone was echoed by state media.
People’s Daily said Ms Takaichi was the first Japanese leader in 80 years to threaten the use of force against China, describing her stance as “extremely sinister”.
In the first eight months of 2025, Japan received almost 7.5 million Chinese visitors, according to government data, so a prolonged travel warning could carry significant economic consequences for the country.
The latest flare-up also followed Beijing’s outrage over Ms Takaichi’s meeting with a senior Taiwanese adviser during the Apec summit in South Korea, an encounter that China branded a violation of its “one China principle”.
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump claimed that Chinese leader Xi Jinping had assured him that Beijing would not take any action towards Taiwan while the Republican remained in office. But Mr Trump refused to directly answer whether the US would defend Taiwan if it were attacked by China.
