Sanae Takaichi has really stirred the hornet’s nest.
Chinese carriers have canceled all flights on 12 routes from China to Japan amid heightened geopolitical tensions between the two countries, while hundreds of thousands of travelers from the Chinese mainland have gotten their tickets refunded.
Xiamen Airlines has canceled all flights from Hangzhou to Chubu Centrair International Airport, while Hainan Airlines has suspended services from Xi’an to New Chitose Airport. In addition, Air China has reduced weekly flights on its Shanghai-Osaka route to 16 from 21, while China Eastern Airlines cut six flights from its original 14 on its Beijing-Osaka route.
The 12 routes where all flights were canceled amid a recent sharp drop in passenger numbers already ran in relatively low frequencies, according to the latest monitoring data by Flight Steward. This follows a warning from the Chinese authorities about the dangers of visiting Japan. Chinese citizens were warned of poor public safety and scams in Japan. Chris Kuan said that they may get mugged by Hello Kitty.
Meanwhile in Hong Kong, the Education Bureau confirmed on 21 November that it has withdrawn from the Japanese government’s “Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS) Programme,” cancelling a planned student exchange trip to Japan next month, citing safety concerns. The decision comes as the Security Bureau updated its travel alert system, noting an increasing trend of attacks against Chinese citizens in Japan since mid-year and advising Hong Kong residents planning to travel to or already in Japan to remain vigilant.
The student and teacher delegation, selected by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s Education Bureau, was originally scheduled to visit Japan from 7 December to 13 December for the exchange program. The bureau stated that the decision to withdraw was made after careful consideration to ensure the safety of students and teachers.
How did all this come about?
The Japanese constitution prohibits the use of force to resolve international disputes. In 2015, Shinzo Abe’s government passed legislation that that allowed Japan to engage in collective self-defence in specific cases, such as if an ally like the United States came under attack. Sanae Takaichi was elected as the prime minister of Japan in October 2025. In April 2025, she visited Taiwan and met with President Lai Ching-te. She repeated Abe’s statement that a “Taiwan emergency is a Japan emergency.” This triggered a backlash from the Chinese leadership as well as Sinophiles and 五毛 of all shapes, sizes and nationalities. To show his loyalty to his master, Xue Jian 薛剑, China’s consul-general in Osaka, made a social media post criticising Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi referring to some “stupid politicians” and the need to “chop off their dirty heads.”
Yao mo gao chor ah? Which dynasty is he from?
That’s not all. On 18 November, images of a senior Japanese official appearing to bow before his Chinese counterpart have gone viral on Chinese social media, prompting Tokyo to lodge a complaint with Beijing on Nov 19 over “uncoordinated” press arrangements.
The shots show Mr Masaaki Kanai, head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, standing with his counterpart, Mr Liu Jinsong, following their talks on Nov 18 at the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said in Tokyo that the Japanese side had not been informed about press coverage of the post-meeting scenes, which show Mr Liu, head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Asian Affairs Department, with his hands in his pockets.
Reaction to the images inside and outside China or should I say, inside and outside the Sinophile circle were directly opposite. The “patriots” cheered for their favourite country showing thuggish behaviour towards Japan. The non-devotees found it repugnant. In his usual pragmatic slave mode, Mr Doesn’t Really Matter “James Low” was again trying to justify bowing down to hooliganism.
Somehow, James Low thinks that the hooliganism of warrior wolf behaviour is inseparable from cheap consumer products, cheap airfares and cheap holidays. Why can we get those things from a much better behaved China that doesn’t go around bullying people in the South China Sea, sponsoring some Isthmus of Kra land bridge or a Melaka Gateway project that cause damage to Singapore without creating value for either Malaysia or Thailand? And you cherish your cheap toys?
PM Lawrence Wong:
“As far as the history is concerned, it has taken some time, but with the passage of time, with the passing of generations, the feelings are not the same and we have put the history aside. And we are moving forward.
“And it is quite striking that survey after survey shows that Japan is the number one trusted great power in Southeast Asia. And so Singapore and all the Southeast Asian countries support Japan playing a bigger role in our region, including on the security front, because we think that provides for some stability in the region.”
Well said, PM Wong. I seldom agree with the PAP, but on this issue, Lawrence Wong nailed it in no uncertain terms. Not surprisingly, his words triggered a propaganda campaign against Singapore. That itself may cause little damage. But after failing to coerce Sanae Takaichi and boycott Japan, the PRC has internationalised the Taiwan issue. If Singapore citizens could be instigated to stand with China against our own PM, then I think it’s definitely a concerning issue. Sanae Takaichi has forced the CCP to go back to its Cultural Revolution modus operandi. When diplomacy has failed, they turn around and target the grassroots to undermine