【Epoch Times News, November 16, 2025】
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takamichi’s recent remarks related to Taiwan have further escalated tensions between China and Japan. Both sides have summoned each other’s ambassadors, with China even issuing a travel ban on going to Japan, and applying economic pressure on Japan. Analysts point out that this is an example of China weaponizing and politicizing the economy. However, in the short term, the Takamichi government is unlikely to be significantly impacted.
Meanwhile, in contrast to the official Chinese stance, Chinese tourists are still flocking to Osaka, Japan. The Japanese animated movie “Demon Slayer” premiered in mainland China, grossing about 1.17 billion yuan on its opening day, breaking the record for the highest first-day box office earnings for a Japanese import film in Chinese film history.
Prime Minister Sanae Takamichi stated on November 7 during parliamentary questioning that a “situation involving Taiwan” could constitute a “critical situation for Japan’s survival,” and hinted that under Japan’s existing “security legislation,” Japan could potentially exercise its right to collective self-defense.
China reacted strongly to this, taking retaliatory measures. On November 8, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Tokyo of “blatant interference in its internal affairs.” That same evening, Consul General Xue Jian in Osaka issued a threat to Sanae Takamichi on the social media platform X, stating, “You can only hesitate to cut off that intruding dirty head.”
On November 13, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong met with Japanese Ambassador to China Kenji Kaneshige, warning that Sanae Takamichi should retract her statements, or else “all consequences must be borne by the Japanese side.”
On the evening of the 14th, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a travel warning, urging Chinese people to “temporarily avoid traveling to Japan,” citing “significant risks” faced by Chinese citizens in Japan. Subsequently, the Chinese Embassy in Japan issued a safety alert, advising Chinese citizens in Japan to be vigilant.
China’s three major airlines, Air China, China Eastern Airlines, and China Southern Airlines, announced on the 15th that from that day until December 31, tickets to Japan could be refunded or changed free of charge.
On the 14th, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao to express strong protest. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi reiterated that Takamichi’s remarks were in line with the government’s existing views, with “no intention to retract or cancel.”
Additionally, Japan requested an explanation from Beijing regarding Xue Jian’s actions. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party also called for a decisive response, including listing Xue Jian as a persona non grata and expelling him from Japan.
According to reports from Kyodo News, Chief Cabinet Secretary Toshimi Kiwara stated on the 15th that Japan had lodged a protest with China and “strongly demanded a proper response” to avoid overreacting.
On the evening of the 15th, a post from the CCTV-affiliated media outlet “Yuyuan Tan Tian” stated that China has made substantial preparations for countermeasures against Japan. It mentioned “suspending government-to-government exchanges with Japan in the economic, diplomatic, and military fields.” China is Japan’s largest trading partner, and many Japanese goods are “highly dependent” on imports from China.
In response, political commentator Li Linyi told Epoch Times on November 16 that this is one of the examples of China weaponizing and politicizing the economy. “China has used some economic means to counter Japan. It can be seen that regardless of the visa-free convenience previously granted to Japan by China, once there is a political contradiction, all of that will be nullified, even becoming a form of economic weapon against Japan.”
He further pointed out that China has granted visa-free access to many countries, even providing some conveniences for citizens of those countries entering China. “If China and these countries have political disputes, you can imagine China will use similar means to deal with these countries. Once China feels its interests are harmed, it will use various ways to pressure those countries it had advantageous economic dealings with. This is a lesson that people can learn from the dispute between China and Japan.”
Dr. Lai Rongwei, Executive Director of the Taiwan Inspirational Association (TIA) which has long been concerned about cross-strait relations, told Epoch Times that the Japanese government must have foreseen this, as economic coercion is a common tactic used by China. “When it faces something done by other countries that it doesn’t like, it will resort to economic sanctions it deems effective.”
He remarked that China always thinks it can use economic pressure politically, and then intimidate officials with the people, “wanting to make the Japanese people feel the pain through economic means, and thus pressure the Japanese Prime Minister to change policies. But now, the Japanese people and South Koreans may not necessarily support China (the CCP).”
In mainland China, Chinese people do not face the same pressure tactics from the Chinese government. According to Asahi Shimbun, on November 15, before 10 a.m., their reporter went to Pudong Airport in Shanghai and saw a long queue at the Osaka flight counter, filled with passengers holding red Chinese passports and dragging luggage. The scene was filled with family laughter and conversations of young couples, almost all heading to Japan for sightseeing.
When asked about their thoughts on the Chinese government’s warning, many nodded acknowledging they knew about the reports but were unwilling to discuss it further, saying “politics isn’t interesting” and “it’s irrelevant to me.”
A couple in their thirties with children revealed they were aware of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ advice to avoid traveling to Japan, but had no intention of changing their plans. When asked about political risks, the couple simply responded, “We don’t care about politics.”
A young woman in her twenties who had just graduated from university mentioned seeing the Foreign Ministry’s warning but stated, “politics is not my concern.” She had previously traveled to various countries in Europe without experiencing discrimination and found Japan to be reassuring, saying, “the public order there is good, I am not worried.” She even mentioned that even if flight tickets could be canceled for free, “I would not change my itinerary.”
Furthermore, the popular Japanese animated movie “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train” is well-received in mainland China. According to Lighthouse Professional Edition data as of 1:30 p.m. on November 15 Beijing time, the film has accumulated a box office gross exceeding 240 million yuan, breaking the one billion yuan mark for two consecutive days, creating a new wave of moviegoing enthusiasm in theaters.
The film premiered in China on November 14, with an opening day box office of 1.17 billion yuan, setting a record for the highest first-day box office earnings for a Japanese import film in Chinese film history.
Screenings in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen had full houses for midnight shows. China News Weekly reported, “The movie theaters at midnight have not been this lively for a long time… the enthusiasm of young people has revitalized the once dormant film market.”
In Japan, public support for the Prime Minister has soared. A nationwide telephone survey conducted by Kyodo News on November 15 and 16 showed that the support rate for the Takamichi Cabinet was 69.9%, up by 5.5% from the previous survey in October. 48.8% of respondents also agreed to exercise the right to collective self-defense when “there is an issue involving Taiwan,” surpassing the number of opponents. Regarding Takamichi’s policy of increasing defense spending to strengthen defense capabilities, 60.4% of people said they “agree,” while 34.7% said they “oppose.”
Masao Yaita, Executive Director of the Indo-Pacific Strategic Think Tank and senior media figure, analyzed the Sino-Japanese relationship on November 15 on the social media platform X. He stated, “Beijing may have underestimated the backlash from Japanese public opinion and the political resilience of Prime Minister Takamichi. Currently, the support rate for the Takamichi Cabinet remains stable at around 70%, making it an unusually strong regime. The Japanese people can see very clearly that China’s actions are not for ‘security considerations,’ but are overt interference in Japanese domestic affairs using economic means. In the short term, the Takamichi government will not be greatly affected.”