Japan issues travel alert for China

Japan yesterday issued a travel advisory to its citizens planning to visit China, urging them to be on special alert following rowdy anti-Japanese rallies over a territorial spat.

Nationalist passions have been inflamed in China, triggering emotional street protests in the row that began when Japan arrested a Chinese trawler captain on September 8 near disputed islands in the East China Sea.

“We cannot rule out the possibility that similar demonstrations may occur anywhere in China,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The ministry advised Japanese tourists and business visitors to “be on special alert” while outdoors during trips to China. It also advised them “to pay attention to their words and actions in public”.

China on October 1 also issued a travel warning for Japan after Chinese visitors travelling on a tour bus were harassed in the city of Fukuoka. The National Tourism Administration on its website advised Chinese tourists “to watch their travel safety”.