China urges travel agencies to reduce Japan-bound visitors by 40%
China has urged domestic travel agencies to reduce the number of Japan-bound tourists by 40 percent, industry sources said Thursday, amid a Beijing-Tokyo row over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on a Taiwan contingency.
Major travel agencies in China were told in late November to cut the number of Japan visa applications by 40 percent following Takaichi’s Nov. 7 parliamentary remarks that suggested an attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, possibly involving its defense forces, the sources said.
In mid-November, the Chinese government called on its citizens to avoid visiting Japan, saying Takaichi’s comments have ruined the atmosphere for people-to-people exchanges and increased risks to the safety of Chinese people in Japan.
Chinese nationals need to obtain visas to visit Japan and apply for them through designated travel agencies in China.
According to Chinese media reports, more than 1,900 Japan-bound flights, or over 40 percent of the total, were canceled in China in December, while 2,195 flights will be scrapped in January, also about 40 percent.
In recent years, Japan was listed as one of the most popular destinations for Chinese travelers.
