Storyline: China's travel warnings for Japan have been issued in light of multiple factors such as the worsening public security and the heightened political atmosphere in the country, said an expert. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with Chinese embassies and consulates in Japan, on Friday advised Chinese citizens to avoid traveling to Japan in the near future, citing a deteriorating security environment and a rise in cases targeting Chinese nationals. China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Sunday also advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan, citing security concerns. Also on Sunday, China's Ministry of Education released an overseas study alert, urging Chinese students currently in Japan or planning to study there soon to assess risks carefully, take necessary precautions, and plan their studies prudently. Following these warnings, major Chinese airlines such as Air China, China Southern, and China Eastern have offered free cancellations and changes for flights to Japan. "China's recent warnings urging its citizens to avoid travel to Japan, along with a couple of airlines' offer of free cancellations and changes for flights to Japan through the end of the year, are made based on multiple factors in Japan, such as security concerns and the political atmosphere. Foremost among these is security. Recent incidents involving Chinese citizens in Japan have raised concern for security, and we assess that the overall public security situation in Japan has deteriorated to some extent," said Gao Zijing, research associate at Shandong University's Institute of International Studies. China has been Japan's largest source of inbound tourists, with 7.5 million mainland visitors going to Japan in the first three quarters of 2024, a 42-percent year-on-year increase. Takahide Kiuchi, executive economist at Nomura Research Institute, projected that the potential losses could reach 2.2 trillion yen if there is a significant drop in the number of Chinese tourists. Japan's tourism industry heavily depends on Chinese visitors who usually spend a lot on shopping, dining and accommodation, and economies in Hokkaido, Osaka, Okinawa and Kyushu will likely bear the brunt of the impact, Gao noted. On Monday, Japanese tourism and retail stocks slumped. On Tuesday, Japan's benchmark Nikkei stock index fell over 3 percent, marking the largest drop in seven months. Industry data from Chinese travel platform Umetrip showed that flight capacity between China and Japan has already decreased, with nearly 1,200 flights operating in the week ending Nov 9, down 14.5 percent from five weeks earlier. Shotlist: FILE: Tokyo, Japan - November 2024: 1. Street view, pedestrians 2. People holding luggage, walking 3. Various of travelers at airport 4. Planes on tarmac FILE: Tokyo, Japan - 2024: 5. Aerial shots of cityscape, traffic Weihai City, Shandong Province, east China - Nov 17, 2025: 6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Gao Zijing, research associate, Institute of International Studies, Shandong University (ending with shot ): "China's recent warnings urging its citizens to avoid travel to Japan, along with a couple of airlines' offer of free cancellations and changes for flights to Japan through the end of the year, are made based on multiple factors in Japan, such as security concerns and the political atmosphere. Foremost among these is security. Recent incidents involving Chinese citizens in Japan have raised concern for security, and we assess that the overall public security situation in Japan has deteriorated to some extent." FILE: Tokyo, Japan - November 2024: 7. Various of traffic, pedestrians FILE: Tokyo, Japan - April 29, 2024: 8. Various of pedestrians, traffic, shops 9. Various of menu FILE: Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan - March 28, 2024: 10. Tourists in scenic spot 11. Various of tourists, pedestrians on streets FILE: Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan - December 2024: 12. Various of skiers in ski resort [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]