appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Zhao Ziwen

Flight cancellations continue to disrupt travel between China and Japan heading into the holiday season amid deepening tensions between the two neighbours.
Flights across 46 routes, including to popular tourism destinations, have been cancelled over the next two weeks, according to Flight Manager, an app developed by Shenzhen-based Huo Li Tian Hui Technology.
A total of 38 airports across the two countries will be affected, the app shows.
The widespread cancellations overlap with the New Year public holiday in China from January 1 to 3.
According to information gathered by the South China Morning Post, all the cancelled flights are operated by Chinese carriers and involve most of the country’s major airlines, including Air China, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Xiamen Airlines and Sichuan Airlines.
Osaka and Nagoya are among the heavily affected Japanese destinations, with half the 46 routes affected linking China’s second- and third-tier cities – such as Shenyang, Chongqing and Wuhan – to major Japanese tourism hubs.
Direct flights between Shanghai and smaller Japanese cities – including Nagasaki, Niigata and Kagoshima – have also been cancelled for the next two weeks.


However, air routes linking major cities – like Beijing and Shanghai to Tokyo and Osaka – should see only minor disruptions over the same period.
While 1,900 flights – over 40 per cent of December’s scheduled services – have been cancelled, the number is set to rise further next month.
Tensions between Beijing and Tokyo began to escalate in November after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested that Japan could deploy military forces in the event of a “survival-threatening” conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
Beijing issued a travel advisory on November 14, urging Chinese citizens to avoid travel to Japan due to safety concerns. Beijing also issued similar safety advisories earlier this month as several strong earthquakes struck northeastern Japan and Hokkaido.
The number of mainland Chinese tourists travelling to Japan in November grew 3 per cent year on year, according to the Japan National Tourism Organisation, although that was significantly lower than the overall growth from all countries of 10.4 per cent.
The number of cumulative arrivals from China between January and November rose 37.5 per cent year on year.


Warning against Japan’s military build-up surfaces at Beijing Xiangshan conference

Japan’s Natuna port proposal highlights Indonesia’s balancing act on China

How will the Okinawa governor’s race result reshape China’s local messaging?

How Okinawa’s political shift could make Japan more prepared for a Taiwan contingency

China-Japan relations

China-Japan tension hits holiday travel as flights cancelled on 46 routes

Visitors take photos against the backdrop of Japan’s Mount Fuji. Tensions have been high between China and Japan since November. Photo: AFP

Chinese tourist arrivals to Japan lose momentum amid tensions: official data

Mainland Chinese tourists visit Sensoji temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo on Thursday Photo: AP

Mainland Chinese tourists visit Sensoji temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo on Thursday. Photo: AP

The Chinese government has advised its citizens to pause planned visits to Japan. Photo: AP

Japan spelled out its stance on Taiwan. It’s what Tokyo didn’t say that angers Beijing

Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi has spelled out Japan’s position on Taiwan, but only in part. Photo: AFP

China’s PLA Daily accuses Japan of showing ‘no respect for history’

The Atomic Bomb Dome at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Japan. Photo: Kyodo

Bearly any time left for Japan’s panda lovers? Row with China threatens loan programme

Visitors take pictures of giant panda Xiao Xiao at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo. Photo: EPA

Xiao Xiao’s twin Lei Lei will also be returned to China next month: AFP

Japan tightens land law after Chinese buyers lead property rush near sensitive sites

A view of the skyline of Tokyo, Japan. Many foreign buyers purchased Tokyo-area condos and flats for investment. Photo: Shutterstock

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi listens to a question during a House of Representatives Budget Committee session in Tokyo last month. Photo: Kyodo

A Japan Self-Defense Force guard stands near a Patriot missile interceptor in Funabashi, near Tokyo, in 2018. Land and buildings within 1km (0.6 mile) of Japan’s critical sites now face strict use regulations. Photo: AP

News

China

Diplomacy

All cancelled flights are operated by Chinese carriers and involve most of the country’s major airlines


All cancelled flights are operated by Chinese carriers and involve most of the country’s major airlines.


China-Japan tension hits holiday travel as flights cancelled on 46 routes

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}All cancelled flights are operated by Chinese carriers and involve most of the country’s major airlines

All cancelled flights are operated by Chinese carriers and involve most of the country’s major airlines