China halts Japan ferry amid rising tensions
A major passenger ferry connecting China and Japan has been suspended as tensions between the two countries escalate over remarks made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi about Taiwan.
The Jian Zhen Hao ferry, which operates between Shanghai and the Japanese cities of Osaka and Kobe, stopped service on Saturday. The operator, Japan-China International Ferry, said the suspension came “at the request of the Chinese side,” citing concerns about travel safety between the two countries, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
The company said services would remain halted “for the time being,” with no date set for resumption.
The move marks the latest fallout from a diplomatic rift triggered by Takaichi’s comments last month. She told Japan’s parliament that a potential attack on Taiwan by China’s People’s Liberation Army could be considered a “survival-threatening situation,” opening the door for Japan to deploy its military.
Beijing condemned the remarks as interference in its internal affairs and a departure from Japan’s long-standing strategic ambiguity on Taiwan. China has since rolled out several retaliatory measures, including travel warnings for its citizens and extended refund policies on flights to Japan.
The ferry suspension is especially symbolic because it is named after Jianzhen, a revered monk from China’s Tang dynasty who helped transmit Buddhist culture, art and writing to Japan more than 1,200 years ago. The service had only resumed in June after being suspended for nearly five years during the pandemic.
As Beijing and Tokyo continue to trade diplomatic pressure, cross-border travel links — once symbols of cultural exchange — are now becoming collateral damage.
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