China's defence ministry said on Thursday that Japan will have to pay a "painful price" if it steps out of line over Taiwan, responding to Japanese plans to deploy missiles on an island some 100 km (62 miles) from Taiwan's coast.

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.

China advised its citizens Friday to refrain from traveling to Japan in the near future. It cited earlier attacks against Chinese in Japan and what it called Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi 's "erroneous remarks" on Taiwan, which it said undermined the atmosphere for China-Japan exchange.

As China reportedly mulls a ban on Japanese seafood amid a standoff between the Asian neighbors, Taiwan's leader shows support for Tokyo, with his lunch.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says Japan has "crossed a red line" with comments by the country's new leader suggesting a potential military intervention over Taiwan.

China has filed a United Nations complaint against Japan, accusing it of threatening "armed intervention" over Taiwan.

Japan’s Premier Sanae Takaichi said any Chinese attack on Taiwan could potentially enable Tokyo to ‘exercise right of collective self-defense,’ drawing criticism from Beijing - Anadolu Ajansı