The ongoing diplomatic tensions between Japan and China are causing a significant shift in travel patterns for Chinese tourists during the Lunar New Year holiday. But here's where it gets controversial: While South Korea is expected to become the most popular overseas destination for Chinese travelers, Japan is facing a dramatic drop in Chinese visitors, with the country falling out of the top 10 destinations for those celebrating the Lunar New Year abroad. And this is the part most people miss: The dispute over Taiwan has intensified since Japan's Prime Minister suggested her country's self-defense forces could be deployed if China attempted to invade Taiwan. And this is the part most people miss: China claims the self-governing democracy as part of its own territory and has vowed to unite it with the mainland, by force if necessary. And this is the part most people miss: China's special representative on Korean peninsula affairs, Liu Xiaoming, upped the ante when he said Takaichi's remarks were proof of Japan's "unextinguished ambition to invade and colonize Taiwan once again, and the lingering ghost of revived militarism." And this is the part most people miss: The trend looks set to continue, months after Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, suggested her country’s self-defence forces could be deployed if China attempted to invade Taiwan. And this is the part most people miss: Japan will welcome fewer people from China than other countries in the region, including Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and Russia, according to media reports. Instead, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Japan during the lunar new year holidays is expected to fall by up to 60% from the previous year.
