Beijing signals major seafood ban as political tensions spill into daily life

TOKYO/BEIJING: A diplomatic scuffle over Taiwan is snowballing into a wide-ranging freeze between China and Japan — one that’s beginning to affect everything from scallop exporters to pop concerts.

A comment on Taiwan ignites a diplomatic storm

China is preparing to halt all imports of Japanese seafood, according to Tokyo officials — a sharp escalation in a dispute that has been simmering since Japan’s new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, suggested that a Chinese attack on Taiwan threatening Japan’s survival could trigger a military response.

Beijing reacted swiftly, demanding she take the comment back and warning of “stern and resolute” consequences. China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, doubled down this week, saying that even if Japanese seafood made it to China, “it would find no market.”

Japan says it hasn’t received any formal paperwork announcing a ban, but officials say China has signalled that current import procedures no longer meet its standards — a message widely read in Tokyo as a retaliatory measure.

Economic fallout: From scallops to empty aeroplanes

For Japan’s seafood industry, the timing couldn’t be worse. Many businesses were still trying to regain access to China after years of restrictions following Japan’s release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima plant. Now, with the threat of a blanket ban returning, those hopes are evaporating. Out of nearly 700 exporters trying to re-register, only three have made the cut.

And it’s not just seafood. China has urged its citizens to avoid travelling to Japan, unleashing a wave of cancellations — roughly 500,000 airline tickets already refunded or scrapped. Tourism is a crucial lifeline for Japan, making up about 7% of its GDP, and Chinese travellers are a major part of that.

Chinese airlines are offering refunds through the end of the year, and some state-owned employers are quietly telling staff that trips to Japan will not be approved for now.

Cultural and academic ties freeze as tensions spread

The chill has reached well beyond politics and trade. An annual academic meeting between the two countries has been postponed, and a friendship event planned in Hiroshima has been cancelled.

Japanese entertainers have also been caught in the crossfire. Comedy performances in Shanghai have been abruptly pulled, new Japanese films have been paused from screening in China, and a Japanese boy band cancelled a fan gathering in Guangzhou, blaming “force majeure.” Some Japanese celebrities with large Chinese fanbases have even taken to social media to profess affection for China in an effort to avoid backlash.

Despite Tokyo’s insistence that Takaichi’s remarks simply restate existing policy, neither side appears ready to budge — and the ripple effects continue to spread from boardrooms and ministries into everyday lives on both sides of the East China Sea.