China is increasing its pressure on Japan in various ways, affecting events, education, business and entertainment. Chinese companies have banned their employees from traveling to Japan. At the same time, group tours, student visits, and a large annual gathering between Chinese and Japanese scholars have been canceled. Even Japanese films that were scheduled to be released in China have now been postponed for months.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Japan could intervene militarily if China attacks Taiwan. China reacted strongly, saying such statements were dangerous and could damage the political foundation of relations between the two countries. Officials in Beijing also warned that the situation was one of the worst flare-ups in years, comparable to the tensions that erupted during similar statements by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe five years ago.
An employee at a Zhejiang-based company received an official notice saying that “due to the tense relations between China and Japan,” the company would suspend processing all personal travel applications to Japan. In China, high-ranking employees often have their passports held by management to prevent unauthorized overseas travel, and some were reminded that traveling secretly could have dire consequences.
China has also canceled scheduled tour groups to Japan for the time being, and travel agencies are no longer promoting Japan as a destination. Many student trips to major Japanese universities have also been suspended. In 2024, statistics from the Japan Student Services Organization showed that 123,485 Chinese students were studying at Japanese universities, accounting for about 37% of all foreign students in Japan. Several scheduled industrial and business and study tours over the next five weeks have also been canceled. A Chinese tour operator said that all group trips to Japan in December were canceled due to “national policies” and would only resume after the government gave further instructions.
The Beijing – Tokyo Forum, a flagship annual meeting of scholars from both countries, has been postponed for the first time since its launch in 2005. China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, had been expected to speak at the forum, which was scheduled to start in Beijing on Saturday. Talks between Japanese and Chinese officials in Beijing earlier this week showed no progress in easing tensions. The Chinese side reportedly said that Japan’s statements caused “fundamental damage” to political relations, while Japan responded that its policy has not changed.
China’s actions have also affected the financial and entertainment sectors. Travel-related stocks in both countries have fallen, and Japan’s stock market continues to react to the rising tensions. In the movie industry, Japanese films such as Crayon Shin-chan: The Movie: Super Hot! The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers and Cells at Workthat were set to release in China in the next few weeks have been postponed. Film importers predict that other Japanese productions could also face delays of three to six months.
Beijing has also conducted coastguard patrols near disputed islands administered by Tokyo. China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and has threatened to annex it by force if Taipei resists unification indefinitely. Many Japanese see such a scenario as a serious threat to democracy and security in the region.
Overall, the latest developments suggest that tensions between China and Japan are escalating rapidly, affecting ordinary travelers, students, business people, and the entertainment industry, and could further strain political and economic relations between the two countries.
