Japan has warned its citizens in China to be careful of their surroundings and to avoid big crowds, as a diplomatic row spirals over prime minister Sanae Takaichi鈥檚 comments on Taiwan.
The escalating spat has already seen Beijing advise Chinese citizens to avoid travelling to Japan and hit Tokyo stocks.
The screenings of at least two Japanese movies will also be postponed in China, state media reported.
鈥楶ay attention to your surroundings and avoid as much as possible squares where large crowds gather, or places that are likely to be identified as being used by many Japanese people,鈥� the Japanese embassy in China said in a statement on its website dated聽Monday.
Beijing on Tuesday vowed to 鈥榩rotect the safety鈥� of foreigners in China, but said it had again lodged a 鈥榮trong protest鈥� with Tokyo over Takaichi鈥檚 comments.
Minoru Kihara, Japan鈥檚 top government spokesman, said the embassy鈥檚 advice was issued 鈥榖ased on a comprehensive assessment of the political situation, including the security situation in the relevant country or region, as well as the social conditions鈥�.
The diplomatic feud between China and Japan was ignited by Takaichi鈥檚 suggestion that Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attack on Taiwan.
China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to take the democratic island, reacted furiously to Takaichi鈥檚 comments.
It called for her to retract the remarks and summoned the Japanese ambassador.
In a post on X on November 8, the Chinese consul general in Osaka, Xue Jian, threatened to 鈥榗ut off that dirty neck鈥�, apparently referring to Takaichi, who took office in October.
Tokyo said it had summoned the Chinese ambassador over the now-deleted social media post.
Seeking to defuse the row, Masaaki Kanai, the top official in the foreign ministry for Asia-Pacific affairs, held talks Tuesday in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart Liu Jinsong.
鈥楧uring the consultations, China once again lodged a strong protest with Japan鈥� over 鈥楾akaichi鈥檚 erroneous remarks鈥�, said Beijing鈥檚 foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.
鈥楾akaichi鈥檚 fallacies seriously violate international law and the basic norms governing international relations鈥�, Mao said, adding her comments 鈥榝undamentally damage the political foundation of China-Japan relations鈥�.
The Japanese embassy warning also advised citizens to 鈥榖e careful about your words and attitudes when interacting with local people鈥�.
It came as China Film News, which is supervised by the state-backed China Film Administration, said the release of imported Japanese movies 鈥楥rayon Shin-chan the Movie: Super Hot! The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers鈥� and 鈥楥ells at Work!鈥� would be postponed.
The two movies were originally expected to be released on December 6 and November 22 respectively, according to review site Douban.
鈥楯apan鈥檚 provocative comments will inevitably affect Chinese audiences鈥� perception of Japanese movies,鈥� China Film News said in an article posted on WeChat Monday.
Tokyo stocks fell more than three per cent Tuesday as the diplomatic spat weighed on sentiment.
Japanese tourism and retail shares dived on Monday after China warned its citizens to avoid Japan, a tourist hotspot.
In his meeting with his counterpart in Beijing, the Japanese foreign ministry鈥檚 Kanai rejected China鈥檚 justification for its travel warning, saying 鈥榩ublic order within Japan has in no way deteriorated鈥�, according to a ministry statement.
He 鈥榮trongly urged China to take appropriate measures,鈥� the statement added.
Li Hanming, an aviation analyst, said that around 5,00,000 tickets from China to Japan had been cancelled since November 15.
In Tokyo鈥檚 upscale Ginza district Tuesday, tourist Mike Lam, from Hong Kong, said he hoped the two countries could resolve the dispute.
鈥業 hope we can all respect each other, so things can be better for Japan, for us Chinese, for Hong Kong 鈥� better for everyone,鈥� said the 45-year-old.
Asia鈥檚 two top economies are closely entwined, with China the biggest source of tourists 鈥� almost 7.5 million visitors in the first nine months of 2025 -- coming to Japan.
Before taking power last month, Takaichi was a vocal critic of China and its military build-up in the Asia-Pacific.
If a Taiwan emergency entails 鈥榖attleships and the use of force, then that could constitute a situation threatening the survival (of Japan)鈥�, Takaichi, 64, told parliament on November 7.
Under Japan鈥檚 self-imposed rules, an existential threat is one of the few cases where it can act militarily.
