As diplomatic tensions between China and Japan escalate, foreign media reported that cancellations of flight tickets from China to Japan surpassed 490,000 in three days. This appears to be due to the Chinese government's advisory urging its citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan.
On the 18th, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported, "Chinese airlines canceled about 491,000 tickets to Japan over the three days since the 15th," and "that amounts to about 32% of total bookings on popular routes."
Aviation analyst Li Hanming said in an interview with SCMP, citing data from a survey of Chinese airlines, that cancellations surged as 82.14% of flights on the 16th and 75.6% of flights on the 17th were canceled. Li Hanming said, "The number of ticket cancellations on the 16th was 27 times the number of new bookings," and "safety concerns appear to have absolutely influenced travel decisions."
Analysts say this is due to relations between China and Japan hurtling toward their worst point. On the 7th, Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said, "In a contingency in the Taiwan Strait, the Self-Defense Forces could be deployed." The Chinese government then advised its citizens to refrain from travel to Japan, and Chinese airlines subsequently began offering full refunds for flights to Japan.
Seven major airlines, including China's three state-owned carriers (Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines), announced a policy allowing free refunds and changes for tickets to Japan booked through Dec. 31.
According to Japanese government statistics, Chinese visitors (about 7.49 million) were the largest group of foreign tourists to Japan from January to September this year. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), visits by Chinese to Japan from January to August this year exceeded 6.7 million, up 46% from 4.6 million in the same period last year.