Japan protests after China told its citizens not to visit, amid growing dispute over its leader

Japan raised objections on Saturday after China advised its citizens to avoid visiting Japan, the result of a dispute over the new Japanese leader’s comments on Taiwan He showed no signs of dying.

The Tokyo government lodged a protest and its chief spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, urged China to take “appropriate measures,” Japan’s Kyodo news service reported.

China on Friday advised its citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan in the near future. He cited previous attacks against Chinese in Japan and what he called Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s “wrong comments” on Taiwan, which he said undermined the atmosphere for China-Japan exchange.

Kihara told reporters that it is precisely because of the differences between the two governments that communication at multiple levels is essential, according to a Kyodo report.

China has repeatedly advised its citizens to take safety precautions when in Japan over the past year, but the latest announcement appeared to be more forceful in advising against travel, according to notices posted on the website of its embassy in Tokyo.

Japan is an immensely popular destination for Chinese tourists, as it provides a much-needed economic boost but also provokes an anti-China and anti-foreign reaction from some. It is unclear what impact the notice will have on Chinese willingness to visit Japan, but several chinese airlines offered penalty-free refunds on tickets previously sold to Japan following the government’s announcement.

The dispute suggests that Japan’s already fragile relations with China could become difficult under Takaichi, who supports strengthening the military to counter potential threats from Beijing and its claims to disputed territory in nearby waters in the western Pacific.

Takaichi, who became Prime minister Last month, he said in parliament that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute “an existential threat” to Japan, requiring the use of force by its military.

The comment drew strong objections from China, including a social media post by its consul general in Osaka last weekend saying that “we have no choice but to cut that dirty throat that has been thrown at us.”

His comment, which was later withdrawn, sparked a Japanese diplomatic outcry followed by a back-and-forth that continued throughout the week.

China claims Taiwan, a self-governing island off its coast, as its territory and has held threatening military drills in surrounding waters in recent years.

Neither the United States nor Japan have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but the United States is the main supplier of defense team to the island’s army and opposes the resolution of the China-Taiwan situation by force.

Japan is a military ally of the United States and hosts American troops at several American bases on its territory, including a major naval base south of Tokyo.