News Desk
Japanese travel to China has plunged by nearly 90%, tourism officials say, after remarks by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on a possible response to a Taiwan emergency triggered a sharp deterioration in bilateral ties.
The collapse comes on top of a steep fall in Chinese visitors to Japan, leaving an industry that once acted as a stabilising bridge between the two countries facing its worst downturn since the pandemic.
Travel agencies report a wave of booking cancellations, flight cuts and safety concerns. One major operator said the sector is now battling a “triple punch” — political tensions, reduced seat capacity and soaring fuel surcharges linked to the Middle East conflict.
Chinese carriers have cancelled multiple routes to Japan since Beijing urged its citizens to avoid travel following Takaichi’s comments in parliament. The remarks, made in November, suggested Japan could support the United States if Taiwan were attacked — a position that drew immediate retaliation from China through trade restrictions and travel warnings.
In Shanghai, half of all Japanese group tours have been cancelled since November, according to a local agency. Some trips were scrapped after sudden flight cancellations, while others were dropped due to fears over worsening sentiment.
The impact is being felt across China’s tourist hubs. Japanese‑speaking guides in provinces such as Shaanxi — home to the Terracotta Army — say they have lost almost all income, with direct flights from Japan halted. One veteran guide said he has “not given a single tour this year,” and a Japanese school trip scheduled for April was cancelled.
Another guide in Beijing said his earnings have fallen 90%, warning that the exodus of trained Japanese‑language guides since the pandemic, combined with the current freeze in demand, will make it difficult to rebuild capacity even if relations improve.
Before the latest tensions, Chinese arrivals to Japan had recovered to about half of pre‑pandemic levels. Now, both sides are experiencing a simultaneous collapse in travel — and industry officials warn that tourism will not recover unless political ties stabilise and flights return.
