**Local Government Friendly Visits Postponed… Corporate Group Tours and Student Field Trips Also Canceled**
After the Chinese government issued a travel advisory against Japan, Chinese visits to Japan for exchange events have been canceled or postponed.
According to Japanese media on the 18th, Xuzhou City in Jiangsu Province, China, notified its sister city Handa City in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 15th that the visit scheduled for the 18th would be postponed.
Although no direct link to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on “intervention in the event of a Taiwan emergency” was confirmed, the postponement notification was sent via email just a day after the Chinese travel advisory was issued.
Xuzhou City has maintained sister city relations and exchanges with Handa City since 1993. Ishikawa Prefecture’s Nonoichi City also announced that the educational friendship visit from Shenzhen Elementary School in China, initially scheduled for the previous day, has been postponed.
The Consulate-General of China in Osaka communicated the cancellation of the “8th Western Japan Region China-Japan Friendship Exchange Meeting” scheduled to be held in Hiroshima City on the 21st, according to the Sankei Shimbun citing Japanese sources on the same day.
Xue Jian, the Consul General in charge of this consulate, had previously expressed strong opposition to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks by posting on his X (formerly Twitter) account on the 9th, stating that “‘A Taiwan emergency is Japan’s emergency’ is the path to death chosen by some foolish Japanese politicians.”
He also posted a threatening message saying “there’s no choice but to cut off the dirty neck,” which was later deleted.
The impact of China’s travel advisory against Japan has already begun to affect Japan’s travel industry.
According to the Asahi Shimbun, Japan travel agency RCC, specializing in Chinese tourists, reported that approximately 30 corporate group tours scheduled from late November to early December have been canceled, and 9 teams’ field trips for prospective Chinese students scheduled for January-February next year have been canceled.
Following the issuance of the travel advisory, China has also advised caution on studying abroad in Japan.
In relation to this, the Asahi Shimbun reported that private universities in the Kansai region received cancellation notices from Chinese students who were scheduled to participate in short-term study programs in units of 1-2 weeks starting in December.
After China announced the travel advisory against Japan, major Chinese airlines offered free cancellations for Japan-bound tickets, and large Chinese travel agencies began to halt sales of travel packages to Japan.