Japanese travelers to China drastically decrease amid diplomatic row

SHANGHAI - The number of Japanese travelers to China has drastically decreased after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's November remarks on how Japan might respond to a Taiwan emergency caused relations between the two countries to deteriorate, according to tourism industry officials.

Combined with the recent decrease in Chinese travelers to Japan, the travel industry, which has served as a bridge between the two countries even in times of heightened diplomatic friction, has suffered a double blow.