Japan has denied a report that said United States President Donald Trump had advised Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi not to provoke China over Taiwan's sovereignty. In a news briefing on Thursday, Japan's top government spokesperson Minoru Kihara said there is no such fact about an article published in The Wall Street Journal claiming that Trump had made such a remark to the Japanese leader.
China cautioned its citizens against visiting Japan, a popular destination for Chinese tourists, "in the near future" late Friday. "Recently, Japanese leaders have made blatantly provocative remarks regarding Taiwan, severely damaging the atmosphere for people-to-people exchanges," China's embassy in Japan said in a statement. It added that the situation presents "significant risks to the personal safety and lives of Chinese citizens in Japan." Following the announcement, three Chinese airlines, Air China, China Southern and China Eastern, offered full refunds or changes to Japan itineraries for free through December 31.
Tokyo has lodged a protest accusing China of carrying out the unilateral development of gas fields in disputed waters in the East China Sea. In a statement late on Monday, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had detected the construction of a new structure in waters west of the median line between the countries. Tokyo's latest statement follows Japan's lodging of similar protests after the discovery of Chinese-built installations in May and June.
