A senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official will visit China to try to defuse escalating tensions over Taiwan, including the Chinese government’s call for its citizens to avoid travel to Japan.

Masaaki Kanai, director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, will land in China on Nov. 17.

He will meet with Liu Jinsong, director-general of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry on or after Nov. 18, according to multiple Japanese government sources.

The visit had been arranged some time ago, Japanese Foreign Ministry sources said.

The current friction between the two countries intensified after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, referring to Chinese military action, said in the Diet that a Taiwan contingency could constitute a “situation threatening Japan’s survival,” prompting Japan to respond.

China has protested her remarks and has urged Chinese citizens to carefully reconsider visiting or studying in Japan.

Takaichi, however, maintains that the Japanese government’s stance has not changed and does not intend to retract her remarks.

Kanai is expected to explain Japan’s position in the talks with Liu.

Kanai is also expected to lodge a protest and demand “appropriate measures” regarding Xue Jian, the Chinese consul general in Osaka. In response to Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks, Xue posted on X on Nov. 8: “The filthy head that recklessly sticks itself in must be cut off without a moment’s hesitation.”

CHINA ISSUES WARNINGS

China’s Ministry of Education on Nov. 16 increased pressure on Japan by calling on Chinese citizens to carefully reconsider studying in Japan.

Without providing evidence, it claimed that “crimes targeting Chinese nationals are occurring frequently (in Japan), and safety risks are increasing.”

The ministry also warned those already studying in Japan or planning to do so to heighten their awareness and protect themselves from crimes.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara on Nov. 17 criticized the Chinese government’s advisory about studying in Japan.

“An announcement that seems to shrink bilateral people-to-people exchanges is incompatible with the major direction confirmed between our leaders, such as promoting a strategic, mutually beneficial relationship and building a constructive and stable relationship,” he said.

On Nov. 14, China’s Foreign Ministry urged citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan.

“The Japanese leader made blatantly provocative remarks regarding Taiwan,” the ministry said.

China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, which oversees the travel industry, also later called on citizens to refrain from visiting Japan. 

According to the Japan Student Services Organization, 123,485 Chinese students were enrolled in Japanese universities and language schools as of May last year.

By country and region, China ranks first, accounting for 36.7 percent of the total.

Studying in Japan has grown increasingly popular among Chinese students in light of the weak yen and the U.S. Trump administration’s temporary restrictions on visas for Chinese students.

The Hong Kong government on Nov. 15 also called on its citizens planning to visit Japan to exercise heightened caution.

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, 1.82 million visitors came to Japan from Hong Kong from January to September this year, ranking fifth after China, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States.

The Hong Kong government also claimed that “incidents of Chinese people being attacked in Japan are gradually increasing.” It called on Hong Kong citizens already in Japan to pay attention to information issued by the Chinese Embassy and consulates in Japan.

Kihara on Nov. 17 also referred to China’s advisory against traveling to Japan.

“We will closely monitor the situation, including the impact of the series of measures taken by the Chinese side, and respond appropriately,” he said.

The impact has already started. 

A travel agency in Liaoning province, northeastern China, told The Asahi Shimbun on Nov. 17 that it had canceled all tours to Japan scheduled for November.

“At this point, we don't know whether tours will resume after December,” a company official said.

Another travel agency based in Beijing has also canceled November tours to Japan.

“The (Chinese) government is demanding people not go to Japan, so we have to comply with the call,” an official said,

POLL RELEASE DELAYED AGAIN

The nonprofit organization Genron NPO on Nov. 16 announced it would again postpone the release of a Japan-China joint public opinion poll.

The group said Chinese organizers notified the NPO of the delay “in light of the current state of Japan-China relations.”

The new release date has not been determined.

The original release date was Nov. 4, but that was postponed to Nov. 17 at China’s request, which did not disclose the reason.

However, the delay was reportedly related to China’s protest after Takaichi posted on social media about meeting with Lin Hsin-yi, former vice premier of Taiwan, at the APEC summit in South Korea on Nov. 1.