Xi Jinping (left) and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. AFP Yonhap News. 

China, which has been fiercely criticizing Japan daily since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks about "intervention in Taiwan during an emergency," has even advised its citizens to refrain from visiting Japan.

On the 15th, the Chinese Embassy in Japan announced on its official WeChat account, "We would like to inform you that Chinese citizens should exercise extreme caution when planning to visit Japan in the near future," and added, "Chinese citizens already in Japan should pay close attention to the local security situation and enhance their safety awareness."

The account claimed, "Recently, the Japanese leader made explicit provocative remarks regarding Taiwan in public, severely worsening the atmosphere for people-to-people exchanges between China and Japan," and argued, "This has created significant risks to the safety of the body and life of Chinese citizens in Japan."

It also explained, "Since the beginning of this year, public security in Japanese society has been poor, with multiple crimes targeting Chinese nationals occurring, and several incidents of Chinese citizens being attacked in Japan have also taken place," adding, "Some incidents have yet to be resolved, and the safety environment for Chinese citizens in Japan continues to deteriorate."

In response, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, the Japanese government spokesperson, told reporters that this is "inconsistent with the broad direction of 'strategic mutually beneficial relations' confirmed between the leaders of the two countries," and that "given the differences in positions, multi-layered communication between the two countries is important," according to the Nikkei Shimbun.

According to Nikkei, following the Chinese Foreign Ministry's recommendation for its citizens to exercise caution regarding Japan, China Eastern Airlines, Air China, and China Southern Airlines have already issued notices offering free cancellations or changes for flights to Japan.

Sanae Takaichi, who took office last month, stated on the 7th in the House of Representatives (lower house) that "during an emergency in Taiwan," Japan could exercise its right of collective self-defense (use of force), which falls under a "state of existential crisis." This statement has intensified Sino-Japanese conflict.

Chinese foreign affairs officials have been pouring out highly critical remarks in relation to this, and Prime Minister Takaichi has stated that she has no intention of retracting her remarks.

Yonhap News