China tells citizens to avoid Japan travel as Taiwan row grows

BEIJING — China has advised its citizens to avoid travelling to Japan, following a diplomatic feud sparked by comments by Tokyo's new premier about a hypothetical attack on Taiwan. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told parliament on November 7 that use of force against the self-ruled island claimed by China could warrant a military response from Tokyo. On Friday, Beijing said that it had summoned Japan's ambassador, while Tokyo said it had summoned China's ambassador after an "inappropriate" and now-removed online post. Tokyo has since said its position on Taiwan — just 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the nearest Japanese island — is unchanged. In an online post late Friday, China's embassy in Japan warned its citizens against travelling to the country. "Recently, Japanese leaders have made blatantly provocative remarks regarding Taiwan, severely damaging the atmosphere for people-to-people exchanges," the WeChat post said. The situation presents "significant risks to the personal safety and lives of Chinese citizens in Japan", it added. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the CWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times