China orders travel agencies to slash group tours to Japan as dispute festers
The Chinese government is instructing travel agencies in the country to reduce the number of group tours to Japan as the two countries' dispute following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks about Taiwan continues to fester.
One agency has been told to lower the frequency of such tours to about 60% of previous levels, while another has been urged to cancel all sales, sources said Friday.
The move is believed to be aimed at making Chinese citizens comply with Beijing's call to avoid visiting Japan, further raising the pressure on its Asian neighbor.
Tensions have risen between Tokyo and Beijing since Takaichi made remarks in parliament about a possible Taiwan emergency. The administration of Chinese leader Xi Jinping issued a notice on Nov. 14 advising citizens to refrain from visiting Japan. The instructions to travel agencies were given soon afterward, multiple sources said.
One major state-owned agency was ordered to stop handling all group tours to Japan. Despite ceasing sales immediately, authorities visited an outlet to check compliance and threatened penalties if the travel agency did not follow the instructions.
According to Chinese media, 2,195 flights to Japan next month, or 40.4% of all Japan-bound flights, will be canceled.
An official at a travel agency that still sells group tours to Japan said that the agency does not recommend visits to country since flights may be canceled.
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