Japan-China trade tensions escalate as reports suggest Beijing may halt Japanese seafood imports, potentially linked to the Fukushima wastewater release. This follows earlier bans and a recent resumption of some trade.

China has just delivered its most punishing blow yet in the escalating Tokyo–Beijing showdown. Weeks after Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi’s Taiwan warning enraged Beijing, China reinstated a full-scale ban on Japanese seafood — a move that threatens billions in exports and strikes at the heart of Japan’s coastal economy.

China escalated its retaliation against Japan, suspending imports of Japanese seafood and halting approvals for new films — the latest signs that their diplomatic spat is far from over.

Within days of China urging its citizens not to travel to Japan due to a diplomatic dispute, Tokyo-based tour operator East Japan International Travel Service had lost 80% of its bookings for the remainder of the year.