Diplomatic dispute deepens between Tokyo and Beijing over Taiwan remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
China will once more ban all imports of Japanese seafood as a diplomatic dispute between the 2 nations escalates, Japanese media report.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK and Kyodo Information company mentioned on Wednesday that the seafood ban follows after China earlier this month lifted import restrictions on Japanese marine merchandise, which have been imposed by Beijing in 2023 after the discharge of handled radioactive water from Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean.
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Kyodo Information, referencing sources with information of the matter, mentioned China has informed Japan that the reimposition of the ban was as a result of want for additional monitoring of the water from Fukushima launched into the Pacific Ocean.
However the ban comes amid a deepening disaster in relations between Beijing and Tokyo over remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The premier informed parliament on November 7 {that a} Chinese language assault on Taiwan, which threatened Japan’s survival, was one of many few circumstances that might set off a army response from Tokyo.
Takaichi’s feedback have been met with a wave of criticism by Chinese language officers and state media, prompting Japan to warn its residents in China to take security precautions and keep away from crowded locations.
In a submit on X following Takaichi’s feedback, the Chinese language consul normal in Osaka, Xue Jian, threatened to “minimize off that soiled neck”, apparently referring to the Japanese prime minister. Tokyo mentioned it had summoned the Chinese language ambassador over the now-deleted social media submit.
Beijing has additionally suggested Chinese language residents to keep away from travelling to Japan and demanded that Takaichi retract her remarks, although Tokyo mentioned they have been in keeping with the federal government’s place.
In search of to defuse the row, Masaaki Kanai, Japan’s high official within the Ministry of International Affairs for the Asia Pacific area, held talks on Tuesday in Beijing along with his Chinese language counterpart, Liu Jinsong.
“Through the consultations, China as soon as once more lodged a robust protest with Japan” over “Takaichi’s misguided remarks”, Chinese language Ministry of International Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning mentioned.
“Takaichi’s fallacies critically violate worldwide legislation and the fundamental norms governing worldwide relations”, Mao mentioned, including the Japanese premier’s feedback “essentially harm the political basis of China-Japan relations”.
‘Very dissatisfied’
Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu, reporting from Beijing, mentioned the go to by Kanai to Beijing was seen as an effort by Tokyo to de-escalate tensions and talk to China that Japan’s stance on independently-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its personal territory, has not modified regardless of Takaichi’s remarks.
“It appears there have been no concrete outcomes, however what we’ve seen, although, is a few footage following the assembly of those two diplomats parting methods, and I feel it actually speaks for itself. We have now very chilly physique language from each of those diplomats,” Yu mentioned.
“Liu Jinsong had his arms in his pockets, refusing to shake arms with the Japanese senior diplomat,” Yu mentioned, including that the Chinese language official mentioned afterwards that he was “very dissatisfied” with the assembly.
Liu Jinsong, director-general of the Division of Asian Affairs of the Chinese language International Ministry, met with Masaaki Kanai, director-general of the Japanese International Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, on Tuesday.
Following the assembly, Masaaki Kanai has left the Chinese language… pic.twitter.com/rdAy2YJruQ
— China Information 中国新闻网 (@Echinanews) November 18, 2025
Earlier than the newest seafood ban, China accounted for greater than one-fifth of Japan’s seafood exports, in accordance with official knowledge.
The dispute has additionally engulfed different areas of China-Japan relations, with China Movie Information, which is supervised by the state-backed China Movie Administration, saying that the discharge of two imported Japanese motion pictures could be postponed amid the dispute.
The 2 motion pictures have been initially anticipated to be launched on December 6 and November 22, respectively, in accordance with evaluation web site Douban.
