Tokyo: China has urged its citizens in Japan to remain vigilant and claimed that Chinese nationals have been targeted in several regions of the country, Chinese state-run media reported Monday.
According to Anadolu Agency - English, a notice issued Saturday by the Chinese Embassy in Japan said that public security conditions in some regions of Japan have recently deteriorated, citing violent incidents in some prefectures including Fukuoka, Shizuoka, and Aichi. The embassy reported that many Chinese travelers experienced verbal abuse or physical assaults without provocation, leading to injuries.
The notice also highlighted a specific incident from December 31 in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward, where a vehicle-ramming incident left two Chinese citizens seriously injured, necessitating emergency hospital treatment. In light of these events, the embassy advised Chinese citizens to avoid traveling to Japan in the near term.
There has been no immediate response from Japanese authorities in regard to the statements made by the Chinese embassy. Tensions between China and Japan have been on the rise since November 7, when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi remarked that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could legally be considered a 'survival-threatening situation.' This situation could potentially allow Japan to exercise the right of collective self-defense.
The remarks from the Japanese Prime Minister sparked significant backlash from Beijing, which responded by advising against travel to Japan and reinstating a ban on the import of seafood, among other restrictive measures.