China Issues Travel Alert for Citizens in Japan Following Tokyo Assault
Tokyo, Japan – November 21, 2025 – China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism has issued a travel advisory urging citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Japan, following a recent assault on Chinese nationals in Tokyo. The advisory, released Sunday, also instructs Chinese citizens currently in Japan to remain vigilant, take safety precautions, and contact local police or Chinese diplomatic missions in case of emergencies.
The alert comes after an incident on July 31, 2024, in which Chinese citizens where injured in Tokyo. While Japanese media has classified the event as “robbery and injury” (強盗傷害), the Chinese government has expressed heightened concern, citing potential links to right-wing extremism.
According to the mainichi Shimbun, the primary suspect, Yoshiki Miyashita, is a resident of Osaka, and traveled to Tokyo with at least one other individual specifically to commit the crime.investigators believe the suspects disabled surveillance by spray-painting cameras near the scene, indicating premeditation.
the timing of the assault – July 31 - has also raised concerns due to its numerical connection to Unit 731, a notorious imperial Japanese Army unit that conducted lethal human experimentation and developed biological weapons in Northeast China during World War II, resulting in the deaths of over 3,000 people and widespread contamination. Abandoned chemical weapons from Unit 731 continue to be discovered in the region, occasionally causing civilian injuries.
Notably, on August 12, 2024, former Unit 731 soldier hideo Shimizu visited the unit’s former site in Harbin and publicly expressed remorse. Despite historical evidence, right-wing groups in Japan have repeatedly denied the unit’s atrocities.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Peng Qing’en strongly condemned the violence,stating that “compatriots in Taiwan are our flesh-and-blood kin,” and called for a swift inquiry and prosecution of the perpetrators.
Chinese citizens in Japan requiring assistance can contact the embassy’s overseas Chinese affairs desk at 03-6450-2195.
