Beijing: China on Friday urged its citizens to avoid travel to Japan amid rising tensions between Beijing and Tokyo.

According to Anadolu Agency, China's Foreign Ministry, along with its embassy and consulates in Japan, has advised Chinese nationals to refrain from visiting Japan in the near future. This advisory comes in the wake of "multiple criminal offenses and incidents of attacks against Chinese nationals in Japan this year."

The situation has been aggravated by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent remarks concerning Taiwan, which have "severely undermined the atmosphere for China-Japan personnel exchanges," as communicated by the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Department of Consular Affairs, and reported by the state-run Global Times.

Chinese nationals currently residing in Japan have been advised to "closely monitor the local public security situation, enhance safety awareness, and strengthen self-protection."

Tensions escalated last week when Prime Minister Takaichi stated that any Chinese military action against Taiwan, including a naval blockade, could be considered a 'survival-threatening situation,' potentially allowing Japan to exercise its right to collective self-defense.

Takaichi, who is Japan's first female premier, later clarified to lawmakers that her comments were made "under the assumption of a worst-case scenario" and emphasized that she had no intention of retracting her statements.

In response to Takaichi's comments, China summoned Japan's ambassador in Beijing. Nevertheless, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara reaffirmed Tokyo's commitment to the 1972 joint communique, wherein Japan acknowledged China and expressed that it "fully understands and respects" Beijing's stance that Taiwan is an "inalienable part" of its territory.