China seeks to inflict economic blow on Japan amid escalating spat over Taiwan

Japan has been feeling the sting of China’s economic retaliation as their diplomatic spat over Taiwan worsens, with travel agencies canceling group tours and fears mounting over an outright ban on Japanese seafood and movies.

HONG KONG — Japan has been feeling the sting of China’s economic retaliation as their diplomatic spat over Taiwan worsens, with travel agencies canceling group tours and fears mounting over an outright ban on Japanese seafood and movies.

China hinted that it might halt seafood imports from Japan on Wednesday after warning its citizens to avoid traveling there and postponing the release in China of at least two Japanese movies.

The two largest economies in Asia have been locked in a war of words that began when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told lawmakers on Nov. 7 that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could force a military response from Tokyo. It was the first time such a comment had been made by a sitting prime minister of Japan, a U.S. ally that has a mutual defense pact with Washington.

The first day of the auction at the Hamasaka fishing port in Toyooka, Japan, on Nov. 6.Buddhika Weerasinghe / Getty ImagesChina, which claims self-ruling Taiwan as a breakaway province to be seized by force if necessary, has repeatedly demanded that Takaichi retract her “egregious” remarks, saying it will take “severe” countermeasures if she refuses.

Though unspecified, Beijing’s threats have fueled concerns for Japan’s already fragile economy that is heavily dependent on China, especially as Tokyo grapples with the effects of U.S. tariffs.