China, which has been sharpening its tone day after Sanae Takaichi, Japan's prime minister, said Japan could intervene in the event of a Taiwan contingency, went so far as to advise its citizens to refrain from visiting Japan.
On the 15th, the Chinese Embassy in Japan said on its official WeChat account, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy and Consulates in Japan would like to inform you that you must exercise extreme caution about visiting Japan in the near future," adding, "For Chinese citizens already in Japan, closely monitor the local public security situation and heighten your safety awareness."
It went on, "Recently, a Japanese leader made an open and blatant provocative remark regarding Taiwan, seriously worsening the atmosphere for people-to-people exchanges between China and Japan," and stressed, "As a result, there are grave risks to the personal safety and lives of Chinese citizens in Japan."
It also said, "Since the beginning of this year, public security in Japanese society has been poor, with several crimes targeting Chinese nationals occurring, and there have been multiple incidents of Chinese citizens being assaulted in Japan," adding, "Some cases remain unresolved, and the safety environment for Chinese citizens in Japan continues to deteriorate."
After Prime Minister Takaichi, who took office last month, said on the 7th in the House of Representatives (the lower house) that, for the first time for a sitting Japanese prime minister, a "Taiwan contingency" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" in which Japan may exercise its collective self-defense (use of force), tensions between China and Japan have intensified.
As China's foreign affairs authorities pour out criticism over this, Prime Minister Takaichi said there are no plans to retract the remark.