China Should Drop Call for Citizens Not to Visit Japan: Official

Tokyo, Nov. 15 (Jiji Press)–China should withdraw its notice recommending its nationals not to visit Japan, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Saturday. The notice is “incompatible” with the advancement of the two countries’ mutually beneficial strategic relationship, recently agreed on between Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kihara told reporters durng his visit to the central Japan city of Niigata. “Multilayered communication between Japan and China is important, especially because there are differences in our stances,” Kihara also said. The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued the notice, saying that a grave risk has been posed to the safety of the Chinese people’s lives due to Takaichi’s recent remark that a potential contingency over Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation,” allowing Japan to exercise its right to collective self-defense. Kihara emphasized that China’s recognition is contrary to Japan’s view. Regarding the notice, observers say that China is applying pressure on the Japanese government to retract the remark. However, Tokyo has no intention of withdrawing it. A senior Foreign Ministry official said that the remark is nothing more than the government’s conventional position. “China is testing us. If we show any weakness, they will come at us even more strongly,” another government official said. Meanwhile, some government and ruling coalition members show concern that the deterioration in the bilateral relations might become unstoppable. Takaichi and Xi agreed to promote their countries’ mutually beneficial strategic relations only in late October. But the dispute has made it unclear whether the two countries can hold working-level talks on agricultural and fisheries products. “What comes next would be economic countermeasures,” a former cabinet member said. Ruling and opposition lawmakers have requested that Chinese Consul-General in Osaka Xue Jian be declared persona non grata for his X post that can be taken to mean that Takaichi must be beheaded. Meanwhile, some say that Japan should handle the situation calmly because a strong response would further escalate the dispute. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]