Overview
- Director-general talks in Beijing on November 18 ended without progress as China demanded a retraction and Japan held its line.
- Chief Cabinet Secretary Shin Kihara reaffirmed that the statement does not alter government policy and will not be withdrawn.
- China’s foreign ministry said it lodged a stern representation over the remarks, underscoring the formal nature of its protest.
- Chinese media cited large-scale pullbacks in travel, reporting roughly 500,000 cancellations of Japan-bound flights following calls to curb visits, and exchanges such as a Genron NPO forum have been postponed.
- Separately, the U.S. FAA said it is ending reduced flight operations at major airports after the partial government shutdown was lifted, normalizing service.