Visitors in front of the Cinderella Castle at Tokyo Disneyland in Tokyo, Japan on Jan. 17, 2023.
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Japan on Monday said it dispatched a senior foreign ministry official to China to ease rising tensions, public broadcaster NHK reported, as tourism-exposed stocks in Tokyo slumped amid the diplomatic feud.
Masaaki Kanai, a director-general at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is anticipated to fulfill his counterpart Liu Jinsong on Tuesday, in line with media outlet Kyodo.
Japan’s tourism-exposed stocks fell Monday after Beijing issued a travel and study alert for its residents considering going to Japan.
Beauty and cosmetics firm Shiseido, which relies heavily on Chinese spending, plunged 9.08%. Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings, the parent company of the Mitsukoshi and Isetan department-store chains, lost greater than 11%.
Oriental Land, operator of Tokyo Disney Resort, declined 5.68%. Shares of airline operator ANA Holdings fell 3.35%. Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, a rail, retail and hotel operator, was 1.99% lower.
China on Thursday accused Japan of intervening in its internal affairs after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said earlier this month that the usage of military force in any Taiwan conflict might be deemed a “survival-threatening situation” for Tokyo. Beijing called the remarks “egregious” and demanded a retraction.
Takaichi has refused to walk back her comments, although she acknowledged she would adopt a more cautious tone when addressing such matters in parliament.
Beijing on Friday issued a travel advisory, saying Takaichi’s remarks had raised risks for Chinese nationals in Japan. Chinese airlines responded by offering full refunds or free itinerary changes for flights to Japan.
China’s foreign ministry said Takaichi’s remarks amounted to a provocation. “These actions by Japan have inevitably raised strong questions and concerns amongst its Asian neighbors and the international community,” China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian said, in line with a Google translation of his Mandarin remarks.
Japan was the fourth-most popular outbound destination for Chinese travelers in the primary 11 months of 2024, accounting for greater than 5% of all overseas trips, in line with a Citibank report, citing data from the China Tourism Academy. Almost one-fifth of international visitors to Japan in 2024 got here from China, or around 7 million people, in line with provisional data from the Japan National Tourism Organization.
Tokyo on Saturday urged Beijing to maintain its response measured, Japan’s top government spokesperson, Minoru Kihara, was quoted by Kyodo as saying, adding that China should take “appropriate measures,” without offering details.
These flare-ups come amid a history of nationalist-driven backlash against Japanese businesses within the mainland. In 2023, Chinese consumers, angered by Japan’s release of treated Fukushima nuclear-plant wastewater, mounted a boycott of Japanese cosmetics and household-goods brands.
