Overview
- China’s embassy in Tokyo urged Chinese nationals to avoid travel to Japan, citing significant security risks, and major Chinese airlines offered full refunds or free itinerary changes for Japan flights through December 31.
- Beijing summoned Japan’s ambassador to protest the remarks, and Tokyo in turn called in China’s ambassador after the Chinese consul general in Osaka posted, then deleted, a threatening message on X.
- Japan said its stance on Taiwan is unchanged and called for peace and stability in the strait, with officials stressing a preference for dialogue.
- Takaichi’s parliamentary language was widely read as activating the legal threshold for limited collective self‑defense set by Japan’s 2015 security legislation.
- Chinese officials warned that interference in what they call reunification would face a forceful response, underscoring the sharper rhetoric surrounding Taiwan and Japan’s plan to lift defense outlays toward 2% of GDP.