Public broadcaster NHK reported that Japan announced on Monday that it is dispatching a senior foreign ministry official to China to help mitigate escalating tensions, amid a drop in tourism-related stocks in Tokyo in response to the diplomatic battle.
Media outlet Kyodo reported that the Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Kanai Masaaki, is set to meet with his counterpart Liu Jinsong on Tuesday.
The tourism-related stocks in Japan dropped on Monday following the travel and study alert issued by Beijing to its citizens who were planning to visit Japan.
Beauty and cosmetics company Shiseido, which is more dependent on Chinese spending, fell by over 11 percent.
The parent company of the Mitsukoshi and Isetan department-store chains, Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings, slipped down 10 percent.
However, Oriental Land, operator of Tokyo Disney Resort, decreased 4.74 percent, and shares of airline operator ANA Holdings plunged to 3.48 percent. Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, a rail, retail, and hotel operator, dropped more than 2 percent.
China alleged on Thursday that Japan had intruded into its internal matters after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had stated earlier this month that military force in any conflict with Taiwan could be considered by “survival-threatening situation” for Tokyo.
Meanwhile, Beijing described the comments as “egregious” and demanded a withdrawal. Takaichi has denied her remarks; therefore, she admitted that she would be careful about handling such issues in parliament.
Beijing also issued a travel advisory on Friday and indicated that the comments made by Takaichi had increased risks to the Chinese nationals in Japan. The Chinese airlines reacted and offered full refunds or free changes of itinerary on flights to Japan.
Eventually, the foreign ministry of China claimed that the comments made by Takaichi constituted a provocation.
According to a Google translation of his Mandarin remarks, China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Lin Jian, said that “These actions by Japan have inevitably raised strong questions and concerns among its Asian neighbors and the international community.”
A report by Citibank, based on data provided by the China Tourism Academy, reported that Japan was the fourth-most preferred destination by Chinese travelers in the first 11 months of 2024, with more than 5 percent of all overseas trips.
Provisional data introduced by the Japan National Tourism Organization indicated that almost one-fifth of all international visitors of Japan in 2024 came from China, or either approximately 7 million people to be international visitors.
Tokyo on Saturday urged Beijing to make its response restrained. Japan’s top government spokesperson, Minoru Kihara, quoted by Kyodo, said, by stating that China needed to take “appropriate measures,” but did not provide further information about the matter.
Thus, these eruptions are a part of a history of nationalistic-based retaliation against Japanese companies in the mainland.
Chinese customers furious about the dumping of treated Fukushima nuclear-plant dump wastewater into the sea staged a boycott on Japanese-made cosmetics and household-goods brands in 2023.
