In recent news from the Epoch Times on November 20, 2025, Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s statement on “Taiwan’s situation” has triggered a series of retaliations from the Chinese Communist Party, including restrictions on employees of some Chinese state-owned enterprises from traveling to Japan. Several employees from these state-owned enterprises revealed that despite having prior approvals, they were instructed by their companies to cancel their upcoming trips to Japan.
According to a report from the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, an engineer from a state-owned enterprise in Wuhan, Hubei Province, received a call from the company’s administrative department on the 18th, requesting him to cancel his holiday trip to Japan.
The engineer, like many employees of Chinese state-owned enterprises, requires company approval for overseas travel. His application for the trip was approved as early as October and was originally scheduled to fly to Osaka at the end of November. However, with the escalating tensions between China and Japan, he had to cancel the entire itinerary. After negotiations, the travel agency refunded the airfare and hotel expenses, but the visa fee was non-refundable.
A male nurse from a public hospital in Beijing mentioned that on the 18th, he was asked by his supervisor to cancel his planned weekend trip to Japan.
The cancellation of the trip to Japan resulted in significant losses for this male nurse. “I applied for a trip to Japan at the beginning of the month, but after the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Chinese Communist Party issued a travel warning, my department leaders used it as a reason to prevent my trip,” he said. The nurse mentioned that he spent nearly 6,000 yuan in total on the airfare and hotel expenses for the Japan trip, most of which could not be refunded as they were booked through an overseas online travel platform. With a monthly salary of just over 4,000 yuan, this loss was undoubtedly a heavy blow to him.
An employee from a state-owned research institution in Beijing faced the forced cancellation of his December trip to Japan. He mentioned that he had planned his annual leave to Japan a month ago. Although the unit did not explicitly prohibit him from going to Japan, they put his travel application on hold, which essentially meant they didn’t allow him to go.
Fortunately, the flight he booked belonged to a Chinese carrier that allowed refunds, and after negotiations, the Japanese hotel refunded the full booking fee.
According to a report by Bloomberg on November 18, informed sources revealed that this week, including investment groups, banks, and securities firms, several companies have issued reminders to employees urging them to avoid arranging trips to Japan.
These reminders have prompted some employees to cancel or postpone their planned trips to Japan.
Moreover, recently, dozens of users on mainland Chinese social media platforms posted short videos indicating that their party and government organizations had requested them to cancel trips to Japan. Many netizens also revealed that currently, strict inspections are carried out for those wanting to travel to Japan, with airlines making multiple calls to dissuade travelers, and some having their tickets canceled directly.
On November 7, Takaichi Sanae stated during a session in the Japanese House of Representatives Budget Committee that “Taiwan’s situation” could constitute a “survival crisis situation” where Japan could exercise collective self-defense, hinting at potential military involvement in the Taiwan Strait issue. Subsequently, China repeatedly issued warnings citing security concerns, and urged its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan.
Many major Chinese travel agencies promptly halted the sale of Japanese tour packages, while over 10 airlines including Air China, China Eastern Airlines, and China Southern Airlines simultaneously implemented special refund and change policies, announcing full refunds or rescheduling for tickets to Japan before the end of the year.
This wave of resistance has sparked discussions online. Netizens sarcastically commented, “The party has already canceled it for you.” “If the party doesn’t want you to go, you better not go, or face the consequences.” “The party should be more considerate, and simply close the borders.” “The motherland is disappointing, and happiness lies in Taiwan.”