Japan is raising alarms after a series of confrontations with China over the weekend intensified a growing diplomatic rift between the two Asian powers.
According to CBS News, on Saturday, Japan scrambled fighter jets when a suspected Chinese drone was detected near Yonaguni, the southern island that sits just off Taiwan’s coast. Officials said the aircraft’s presence triggered an immediate response as Tokyo monitored its movements.
A day later, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Chinese coast guard vessels entered Japan’s territorial waters around the disputed Senkaku Islands and remained there for several hours. The islands — called the Diaoyu by China — have long been a flashpoint between the two nations.
The latest incidents come as tensions surge over remarks from Japan’s new prime minister, Senae Takaichi, who suggested Tokyo could intervene militarily if China attacked Taiwan. Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory and reacted sharply to Takaichi’s comments.
Before taking office last month, Takaichi had been an outspoken critic of China’s military expansion. During a Nov. 7 parliamentary session, she warned that a conflict over Taiwan could directly threaten Japan’s national survival.
“If a Taiwan emergency entails ‘battleships and the use of force, then that could constitute a situation threatening the survival (of Japan),’” she said. Under Japan’s self-imposed rules, such a threat is one of the rare scenarios that permits military action.
Beijing’s anger escalated when a Chinese diplomat in Japan reportedly threatened to “cut off that dirty neck,” appearing to target Takaichi personally. Both nations summoned each other’s ambassadors as tempers flared.
Some in China said the government was showing restraint. Tech worker Daniel Feng, 40, told AFP the response was measured despite what he called Takaichi’s “extremely unreasonable” remarks.
“If she spouts words, that’s not a problem … but if they take real action, our country’s military will definitely defeat them,” Feng said.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te urged China to step back from confrontation, calling on Beijing to “show restraint, act like a major power, and not become the troublemaker” in a region where peace has been “severely impacted.”
Lai also said China should return to a “rules-based international order” to help maintain stability.
Amid the fallout, Beijing announced Chinese Premier Li Qiang has no plans to meet with Takaichi at the upcoming G20 summit in South Africa. Meanwhile, Japan sent its top Asia-Pacific foreign affairs official, Masaaki Kanai, to China in an effort to cool tensions.
“We are trying not to escalate the situation,” a Japanese official told AFP.
China also warned its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan and advised the roughly 100,000 Chinese students residing there of alleged safety risks. Kihara criticized the warnings, saying they were “incompatible with the broader direction” agreed upon by both governments.
The economic impact was immediate. Tourism and retail stocks in Tokyo fell sharply on Monday. Shiseido tumbled 9%, department store operator Mitsukoshi plunged 11.3%, and Pan Pacific — the parent company of Don Quijote — slipped 5.3%. Japan Airlines shares also dropped, though the airline reported no major cancellations on China routes.
China remains Japan’s largest source of tourists, with nearly 7.5 million Chinese visitors arriving in the first nine months of 2025. Drawn by a weak yen, they spent more than a billion dollars a month in the third quarter alone.
Now, with tensions rising and travel warnings in effect, Japan’s tourism-dependent businesses face the prospect of a sudden and painful downturn.
