【Epoch Times November 18, 2025 Report】
With Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takamichi’s remarks on “Taiwan’s situation” causing escalating tensions between Japan and China, on Monday (November 17), the Japanese Embassy in China urged the overseas Japanese community to fully implement security measures, enhance safety precautions, and avoid crowded places.
The Japanese Embassy in China issued a safety alert on its website, advising Japanese citizens in China to “remain vigilant, pay attention to their surroundings, be aware of suspicious individuals, and travel in groups as much as possible to ensure their safety. If you are traveling with children, please be extra cautious.”
The safety alert also reminded Japanese citizens in China to “be cautious of their surroundings, avoid crowded public places and areas frequented by Japanese individuals as much as possible; if you notice any suspicious individuals or groups, do not approach them and leave the area immediately.”
The notice also included the Embassy’s “Safety Guide” and contact information for the Consular Office of the Embassy to provide emergency services for Japanese citizens in China facing urgent situations.
The Japanese Embassy stated, “We are here to serve you even outside of office hours.”
The background for Japan issuing this safety alert stems from Prime Minister Sanae Takamichi’s statement last Friday (November 7) during a parliamentary inquiry, indicating that a potential military conflict in the Taiwan Strait could be seen as a “threat to Japan’s survival.” This declaration essentially provides legal basis for Japan to exercise collective self-defense and military intervention, prompting a strong reaction from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Chinese Consul General in Osaka Xue Jian posted comments on social media platform X in response to Takamichi’s “Taiwan’s situation” remarks, stating, “We can only decisively cut off the filthy head that intrudes.” This statement sparked a major uproar in Japan, leading the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to summon the Chinese Ambassador for protest.
On November 10, Sanae Takamichi reiterated in Parliament that she would not retract her “Taiwan’s situation” remarks.
On the evening of November 14, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs suddenly issued a travel warning, urging Chinese citizens to “temporarily avoid traveling to Japan,” citing recent Japanese statements regarding the Taiwan Strait, and stating that Chinese citizens in Japan face “significant risks.”
On November 15, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara Hakari responded by stating that Japan had lodged a protest with the Chinese side and “strongly demanded an appropriate response” to prevent overreactions.
China and Japan are currently embroiled in one of the most serious diplomatic conflicts in recent years. In recent years, due to anti-Japanese education and propaganda by the CCP, nationalist sentiments and anti-foreign sentiments in China have been on the rise, with state media often fueling such emotions, leading to several incidents of attacks on Japanese citizens in China.
On September 18, 2024, a 10-year-old Japanese boy was fatally stabbed while on his way to school in Shenzhen; on June 24, 2024, a Japanese school bus was attacked by a man with a knife in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, injuring a Japanese mother and son, while Chinese woman Hu Youping, who tried to stop the attacker, tragically lost her life.
In the safety precautions notice released on Monday for Japanese residents in China, the Japanese Embassy in China emphasized that, due to recent media reports on Sino-Japanese relations in China (under the CCP’s control), the Embassy decided to issue safety instructions to Japanese citizens.