Just days after China issued an advisory against traveling to Japan, the cancellations started. “I just hope the Chinese tourists return by Chinese New Year," she said, referring to the major holiday period in February.

The remarks come amid the two countries’ worst diplomatic crisis in years, after the Japanese prime minister said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

The country once led the world in semiconductors and electronics, but over the years it fell behind Taiwan, South Korea and China.

Japan ’s largest airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) is offering free domestic flights for British and European travellers this winter. The initiative, which runs from 24 November to 31 January 2026, enables eligible passengers to book up to two complimentary internal flights on an international booking.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ruled out on Wednesday the possibility that Japan could face a British-style "Truss moment", or loss of market confidence stemming from her expansionary fiscal policy. Prices of Japanese government bonds have fallen in tandem with the yen currency last week,

China is trying to impose economic costs on Japan for wading into the issue of Taiwan. But experts say the escalating dispute could ultimately hurt China too.

Two strong earthquakes struck Japan Tuesday at magnitudes of 5.4 and 4.7, according to data from the United States Geological Survey ( USGS ). The first quake struck in the Pacific Ocean about 80 miles east-southeast from Kitaibaraki at a depth of around 6 miles, 10 km, the data shows. Kitaibaraki is about 110 miles northeast of Tokyo.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's high approval ratings are prodding opposition parties to ramp up preparations in case she calls an early election, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Wednesday.