Japan has taken steps to rein in an escalating diplomatic row with China over Taiwan that has prompted Beijing to urge its citizens to stay away from its East Asian neighbor, Reuters reported.
The dispute erupted after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told Japanese lawmakers earlier this month that a Chinese attack on Taiwan that threatened Japan's survival could trigger a military response - a scenario that previous administrations have avoided discussing publicly so as not to provoke Beijing, which has territorial claims to the self-ruled island.
Masaaki Kanai, director-general of the Asia-Pacific Bureau of the Japan's foreign ministry will meet with his Chinese counterpart Liu Jinsong in Beijing this week, Japanese media reported on Monday. Kanai is expected to explain that Takaichi's remarks do not signal a change in Japan's security policy and to urge China to refrain from actions that further worsen relations.
Taiwan is just over 110 km from Japan's westernmost islands and close to key sea lanes that Tokyo relies on for oil and gas supplies. Japan also hosts the largest concentration of US military power outside the United States.
"Various channels of communication are open", Japan's chief cabinet secretary said at a regular briefing when asked about Kanai's reported visit to China.
He added that China's warning against travel to Japan "is inconsistent with the broad direction of promoting strategic, mutually beneficial relations. We have made a firm request to the Chinese side to take appropriate steps".
Takaichi may have the opportunity to speak directly with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang later this week, as both are expected to attend the G20 summit in South Africa.
Today, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said that China is carrying out a "multi-pronged attack" against Japan.
"I urge the international community to continue to pay close attention, and I also urge China to exercise restraint and demonstrate behavior befitting a great power, rather than becoming a problem for regional peace and stability," he stressed.
The dispute erupted with Takaichi's words on November 7, a week after she met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and agreed to strive for stable relations.
The next day, China's Consul General in Osaka, Xue Jian, said that "the dirty neck must be cut off" in a now-deleted post on the social network X. Japan summoned the Chinese ambassador to protest his "extremely inappropriate" statement, and several Japanese politicians have called for Xue's expulsion.
The rift deepened on Thursday when China summoned the Japanese ambassador for the first time in more than two years to express "strong protest" over Takaichi's remarks.
On Friday, China said Japan would suffer a "crushing" military defeat if it interfered in Taiwan affairs and expressed "serious concerns" about Japan's security direction, including its lack of clarity on its three non-nuclear principles of not developing, possessing or stockpiling nuclear weapons.
Yesterday, a formation of Chinese coast guard ships sailed through waters around a group of islands in the East China Sea controlled by Japan but claimed by China. Known as the Senkaku in Tokyo and the Diaoyu in Beijing, they have been the subject of conflict since Japan nationalized them in 2012. The Japanese Coast Guard said it had chased away the Chinese ships.
Chinese state media continued to criticize Takaichi today.
"Takaichi's dangerous words, which touched the nerves of all parties, were not only strategic recklessness but also deliberate provocation," the People's Daily said in an editorial. of the Communist Party
If the dispute drags on, a drop in Chinese visitors on the scale of the roughly 25% seen during the 2012 island dispute could deal a significant economic blow, warned Takahide Kiuchi, executive economist at Nomura Research Institute.
"A drop in visitors on that scale would have a dampening effect of more than half of Japan's annual growth," he said.
In anticipation of the potential blow, shares of tourism-sensitive companies fell in Tokyo.