Sanae Takaichi, Japanese Prime Minister. AFP/Yonhap News. 

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has decided to effectively refrain from participating in events hosted by the Chinese Consul General in Osaka, who made a strong remark on social media (SNS) about "beheading" Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

According to the Mainichi Shimbun on the 21st, Keiji Takagi, Chairman of the LDP's Foreign Affairs Committee, stated at a party meeting the previous day that the party headquarters had requested local branches to refrain from attending events hosted by the Chinese Consulate General in Osaka.

Consul General Xue caused controversy by posting on SNS, "There's no choice but to behead the dirty neck," after Prime Minister Takaichi stated in the House of Representatives on the 7th that a Taiwan contingency could be a "crisis situation threatening the survival of Japan" where it could exercise the right of collective self-defense.

The post was deleted following protests from the Japanese government, but criticism of the action as highly inappropriate for a diplomat continued within Japan.

Furthermore, demands emerged, particularly from conservative circles, to designate Consul General Xue as a "persona non grata" and expel him.

The Japanese government is also reported to have criticized Consul General Xue's remarks at the Sino-Japanese Director-level consultations held in Beijing on the 18th and requested appropriate measures, including his voluntary departure.

However, at the LDP meeting the previous day, the forced expulsion of Consul General Xue was not a major topic, and many expressed the opinion that the situation should be calmly observed and communication between Japan and China should continue, according to the Nikkei.

Takagi told reporters after the meeting, "When problems arise in Japan-China relations, it is precisely when we must ensure communication," adding, "We received opinions based on that fundamental principle."

Gen Nakatani, former Minister of Defense, pointed out that China's retaliatory measures are not good, and added, "It is absolutely not good for Japan to criticize China with nationalism."

This cautious atmosphere appears to be quite different from the LDP meeting on the 11th, when demands for the forced expulsion of Consul General Xue and strong dissatisfaction were raised.

The Yomiuri Shimbun explained the reason for Japan's "restrained response" as "to prevent the situation from escalating into a tit-for-tat confrontation between Japan and China due to excessive Japanese public opinion."

A Japanese government official stated, "If Japan becomes agitated and the conflict escalates, it will benefit China."

However, the Yomiuri pointed out that with China warning of increased retaliation if Japan does not retract Prime Minister Takaichi's remarks regarding Taiwan, there seems to be no sign of resolution.

Japan maintains a position of seeking a solution through dialogue, but since it cannot practically accept China's demand for a retraction, the view is gaining traction that even if Japanese and Chinese leaders meet on the occasion of the G20 summit in South Africa on the 22nd, the situation is unlikely to calm down.

Due to China's advisories against Japanese travel and studying in Japan, flights between the two countries have decreased, and exchange events have been consecutively canceled or postponed.

Asahi Shimbun reported that Air China has decided to reduce flights to Japan from the end of this month until March of next year.

For example, flight CA163 from Shanghai, China to Osaka, which used to operate daily, is reportedly only operating on Fridays and Saturdays from the end of this month until March 28th of next year.

While the airline cited aircraft availability as the reason, Asahi analyzed that the travel advisory likely had an impact. An international airline official stated that due to a high number of cancellations, they plan to reduce flights to Japan by about 10%.

Furthermore, the Japan-China Investment Promotion Organization, which supports investment in China by Japanese companies, had a meeting scheduled with Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao in Beijing on the 25th of this month, but it was postponed at China's request, according to the Nikkei.

Performances in Beijing and Shanghai by some Japanese musicians scheduled for next month have also been canceled for safety reasons, and the Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education has suspended a Shanghai dispatch program for about 20 high school students due to circumstances on the Chinese side.

Meanwhile, Yohei Matsumoto, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, was reticent at a press conference, stating, "I will refrain from commenting," regarding the cancellation of the Japan-China-South Korea cultural ministers' meeting.

He only commented that it would not be appropriate for him to speak about the coordination process for the meeting with the Chinese side.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, the Japanese government spokesperson, responding to China's claim that Prime Minister Takaichi's remarks undermined the atmosphere of cooperation among Japan, China, and South Korea, pointed out, "Remarks that seem to shrink human exchanges, including cultural exchange, are not in line with the direction of promoting a strategically reciprocal relationship."

Yonhap News