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Ren Yan

Recent weeks have seen a sharp decline in Sino-Japanese people-to-people exchanges. All flights on 12 routes from mainland Chinese cities to Japan had been cancelled as of November 24, reportedly due to low demand. According to the Civil Aviation Data Analysis System, some 12 per cent of flights between China and Japan scheduled between November 24 and January 18 have been cancelled. On some routes, more than half have been cancelled.
Chinese tourists, Japan’s largest inbound group, had contributed about 590 billion yen (US$3.77 billion) in consumption in the July-September quarter alone this year.
Earlier this month, the Chinese authorities issued travel advisories urging caution after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested Tokyo could intervene militarily on the Taiwan issue.
The wave of cancellations by Chinese tourists is far more than a mere ripple effect of the diplomatic row – it is a massive public backlash. “Not decided yet but definitely not Japan this year,” confessed a friend of mine. Every winter for the past few years, she had devoted her annual leave to a retreat at Japan’s hot springs.
In suggesting a Taiwan crisis could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, Takaichi crossed a red line. That imperial Japan’s decades-long colonial rule is estimated to have caused more than 600,000 military and civilian casualties in Taiwan undermines any moral right Tokyo has to comment on Taiwan’s future.
As Chinese President Xi Jinping made clear in his latest phone call with US President Donald Trump, Taiwan’s return is an integral part of the post-war international order. According to a Chinese readout of the call, the US “understands how important the Taiwan question is to China”. Soon after, Trump and Takaichi spoke on the phone – although the Japanese leader did not say if her Taiwan comment was discussed.
I recall my university Japanese teacher explaining Ruth Benedict’s concept from The Chrysanthemum and the Sword of “shame culture”, where social norms and expectations play a crucial role in regulating Japanese behaviour, in contrast to the Western “guilt culture” where internalised moral codes are more prominent.


The book has been both praised and criticised since publication. Yet it offers a perspective to examine Japan’s World War II narrative and its revisionism, which focuses on the shame of defeat rather than the guilt of aggression.
Japanese textbooks emphasise wartime suffering like the atomic bombings, but sidestep Japan’s moral responsibility as the aggressor. Atrocities such as the Nanking massacre are minimised, the sexual slavery of “comfort women” glossed over, and the lethal experiments on people conducted under Unit 731’s biological warfare programme ignored. In a society that collectively silences mention of historical crimes, those who acknowledge the guilt face marginalisation. The widening gap in historical perception fuels the distrust between Japan and its neighbours, undermining any hope of a lasting peace.
Some news outlets frame this as China playing the economic pressure card or “retaliating” against Japan’s new leader. They miss the point that the Japanese reference to a “survival-threatening” crisis reopens old wounds and rubs salt into them. It echoes the rhetoric used by imperial Japan to justify invasion, starting with the 1931 Mukden incident. Then began China’s 14-year war of resistance against Japanese aggression, in which more than 35 million lives were lost.
In the depths of the Taihang Mountains in northern China stands an empty tomb dedicated to my grandfather’s uncle, who was brutally killed by Japanese invaders, leaving no remains behind. It wasn’t until after his death that villagers discovered he had joined the underground battles. Through the laments of family elders, I learned of how he was a man of elegance and the pride of the family. His story is passed on, not to bind new generations with hatred, but to make sure tragedy is never repeated.
The world should be alert to any drift towards militarism. Consider the international outcry if German politicians paid their respects at a shrine honouring Adolf Hitler and other high-ranking Nazis. This is precisely what Japanese officials do at Yasukuni Shrine, where 14 convicted Class A war criminals are honoured among the war dead. Honouring these figures glorifies a dark past that brought suffering across much of Asia.


Within Japan, sober voices warn against destroying years of diplomatic efforts. These include China’s decision in 1972 to renounce its demand for Japanese war indemnities “in the interest of the friendship between the Chinese and the Japanese peoples”. The goodwill gesture and forward-looking approach eased Japanese people’s post-war recovery and opened a new chapter in bilateral relations.
Efforts also include talks to resume Chinese imports of Japanese beef after a hiatus of 24 years and allow market access for Japanese aquatic products, both suspended now. As Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning has said: “There has been strong outrage and condemnation from the Chinese people. Under current circumstances, there will be no market for Japanese aquatic products even if they enter China.”
True statesmanship and diplomatic prudence are needed to prevent further escalation. Japan’s former prime ministers have urged caution. Yukio Hatoyama quoted Confucius: “To make a mistake and not correct it – this is what is called truly making a mistake.” Shigeru Ishiba warned that diplomacy “is not about loudly saying whatever one wants”.
Airlines expect flight cancellations to continue through the Lunar New Year, a peak period for Chinese overseas spending. With Tokyo yet to offer clarification, the region watches closely for how things will unfold.


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Why Chinese are cancelling their trips to Japan

Chinese tourists visit the Sensoji temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo on November 20. Many Chinese have chosen to cancel their trips to Japan after Beijing issued a travel advisory. Photo: AP 

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Chinese tourists wheel suitcases through the Ginza shopping district of Tokyo on November 19. China’s Foreign Ministry and its embassy in Japan have advised Chinese citizens against future travel to Japan following recent remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi concerning Taiwan. Photo: EPA

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Experts and Chinese on the ground in Japan say China-Japan tension has not reached the heights of 2012 when the two countries were in a row over the Diaoyu Islands. Photo: AP

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Speculation has grown that Japan’s new prime minister could tighten her hold on power should relations between Beijing and Tokyo remain frosty. Photo: Kyodo

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Chinese tourists pose for a photo in Red Square in central Moscow. Photo: AP

Lake Baikal in eastern Russia is a popular destination among Chinese tourists. Photo: Reuters

Opinion

Asia Opinion

China Opinion

News

Asia

East Asia

Diplomacy

China

The Japanese prime minister crossed a red line and reopened old wounds in employing language that echoed rhetoric used by imperial Japan to justify invasion


The Japanese prime minister crossed a red line and reopened old wounds in employing language that echoed rhetoric used by imperial Japan to justify invasion.


China-Japan relations

Sanae Takaichi

Taiwan

Defence

Yasukuni Shrine

Chinese tourists

Tourism

Xi Jinping

China travel

Tokyo

Asia travel

United States

Mao Ning

Donald Trump

Chinese foreign ministry

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Why Chinese are cancelling their trips to Japan

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The Japanese prime minister crossed a red line and reopened old wounds in employing language that echoed rhetoric used by imperial Japan to justify invasion

The Japanese prime minister crossed a red line and reopened old wounds in employing language that echoed rhetoric used by imperial Japan to justify invasion