CHINA, JAPAN CRISIS DEEPENS

Japanese citizens in China have been warned to be mindful of their safety as a diplomatic spat between the two countries continues

- REUTERS

Japan has warned its citizens in China to step up safety precautions and avoid crowded places, amid a deepening dispute between Asia’s two largest economies over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan.

Takaichi sparked the most serious diplomatic clash in years when she told Japanese lawmakers this month that a Chinese attack on Taiwan threatening Japan’s survival could trigger a military response.

A senior Japanese official met his counterpart in Beijing Tuesday to try and tamp down the tension, but no breakthrough appeared imminent.

China’s foreign ministry said Liu Jinsong, head of the ministry’s Asia affairs department, had pressed at the meeting for Takaichi to retract her remarks. But Japan’s top government spokesperson, Minoru Kihara, suggested Tokyo was in no mood to do so.