The Chinese government on January 26 urged its citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan ahead of the Chinese New Year holidays starting in February.

The Lunar New Year holidays will fall between February 15 to February 23. Huge numbers of Chinese tourists typically visit Japan during this period every year.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on its citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan in November 2025 as well.

On January 26, it said that public security in Japanese society has been unstable, that there have been frequent crimes targeting Chinese nationals, and there have been continuous earthquakes, posing a serious safety threat to Chinese citizens.

A Japanese government official said that visa applications from China for the Lunar New Year holiday have decreased significantly and that the country’s move is likely a part of economic pressure against Japan.