China’s Ministry of Education has warned of “social unrest” and rising crimes against Chinese nationals in Japan, while Japan has urged its citizens in China, especially students, to take extra precautions and said it is working to ensure the safety of its students, families and faculty members.
The diplomatic clash, one of the most serious in years within an already rocky decades-long relationship, follows Japanese PM Takaichi’s message to lawmakers that any Chinese military action against Taiwan, which Beijing sees as a breakaway province, could be deemed a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, potentially triggering a military response.
While China has urged Takaichi to retract what it called her “brazenly provocative remarks concerning Taiwan”, saying they had undermined the atmosphere for China-Japan exchanges, Japan’s top government spokesperson said the comments did not “alter the government’s existing position” and expressed hope that Taiwan-related issues would be resolved peacefully through dialogue.
With over 123,000 Chinese students in Japan as of May 2024 and more than 10,000 Japanese students studying in China through short-term and long-term programs, both countries are now expected to see a decline in enrolments.
Chinese citizens are advised to carefully plan their study abroad arrangements in Japan
Chinese Ministry of Education
“The resulting security situation and study environment are unfavorable, increasing the safety risks for Chinese citizens in Japan,” read a statement from China’s MoE.
“The Ministry of Education reminds those already in Japan or planning to study there to closely monitor the local security situation, strengthen risk assessments, and enhance their awareness of prevention. Chinese citizens are advised to carefully plan their study abroad arrangements in Japan.”
Similarly, Japan’s education minister Yohei Matsumoto said at a news conference on Tuesday that he will soon issue a notice to reinforce efforts to safeguard Japanese children, students and exchange students in the neighbouring country.
According to Matsumoto, in light of past incidents in which Japanese school students were killed or injured in China – with two major cases making headlines last year – Japan “wants to avoid such a situation at all costs and ensure all possible measures are taken”.
As per Japan Association of Overseas Studies (JAOS) data, of the 70,253 Japanese students who studied abroad through JAOS member agents in 2024, 815 went to China — over half for short-term language programs, about 15% for long-term language study, and the rest spending a year at Chinese universities through certified study abroad programs offered by Japanese universities.
While Tatsuhiko Hoshino, international relations officer, JAOS, stated that the association is not currently considering issuing any warnings or alerts, member agents are advising their students in China “to exercise caution regarding their words and actions”.
“It is likely that such an announcement will lead to cases where Japanese universities cancel their study abroad programs to China,” Hoshino told The PIE News.
“While individual study abroad arrangements are less susceptible to impact than those introduced by Japanese universities, an increase in students canceling their plans to study in China is anticipated if the relationship between the two countries further deteriorates in the future.”
The country is also preparing to respond to the Chinese government’s call for its students to reconsider studying in Japan, a matter that will be discussed in line with the “overall government policy”.
According to Anna Esaki-Smith, cofounder of Education Rethink, which advises global education institutions on internationalisation, most students would need more than rhetoric to change their decision to study in Japan or China, as finances and other ambitions play a major role. Still, the situation could lead to both countries “losing a lot on both sides”.
“It’s important to note that Japan currently hosts around 336,000 international students, which is a record-high for the country, and Chinese students make up around 40 percent of that total,” stated Esaki-Smith, adding that if fewer Chinese students came, Japanese universities would need to expand English-language programs to attract students from elsewhere — a potentially significant challenge.
“Conversely, Chinese students would need to find affordable alternative destinations that provide high-quality engineering and STEM programs comparable to what Japan offers. There’s a lot to be lost on both sides.”
Beyond affecting people-to-people exchanges – with one airline analyst estimating that around 500,000 tickets to Japan have already been cancelled – the tensions have also hit cultural and trade ties, with China suspending the release of two Japanese anime films and banning all imports of Japanese seafood.
Though Tokyo has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, it maintains working-level relations and opposes any unilateral attempts to change the region’s status quo, at a time when China has indicated it may eventually reclaim the 23-million-strong country – by force if necessary.
China has warned that any Japanese intervention in its conflict with Taiwan would result in a “crushing defeat”.
“Should the Japanese side fail to draw lessons from history and dare to take a risk, or even use force to interfere in the Taiwan question, it will only suffer a crushing defeat against the steel-willed People’s Liberation Army and pay a heavy price,” stated Chinese defence ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin, in a statement.
