China has urged its citizens not to travel to Japan and summoned the country's ambassador in Beijing over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments on Taiwan. China and Japan have been locked in an escalating war of words this week, set off by Takaichi's suggestion that Japan could respond with its own self-defence force if China attacked Taiwan.

China sent Coast Guard ships near disputed islands and warned travelers and students about safety risks in Japan. The escalation is over comments on Taiwan by Japan’s new prime minister.

The Japanese public is divided on whether Japan should exercise its right to collective self-defence if China attacks Taiwan, a Kyodo news agency poll found on Sunday.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi angered Beijing by saying that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could be a “survival-threatening situation” and bring a military response from Tokyo.

The diplomatic row comes after Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi said Japan may intervene if China blockades Taiwan.

China has warned of "significant risks to the personal safety and lives of Chinese citizens in Japan" as the diplomatic row deepens.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent comments about Taiwan have prompted the Chinese government to warn against traveling to Japan.

China urges citizens to avoid Japan after PM Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks, saying deteriorating ties pose serious safety risks.

Sanae Takaichi had said that any Chinese military move against Taiwan ‘could allow Japan to exercise its right to collective self-defense’ - Anadolu Ajansı

China summons Japanese ambassador amid ongoing row over Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks - Beijing warns Tokyo over comments seen as signalling a potential military response to a Taiwan conflict

China has warned its citizens against traveling to Japan as it escalates a backlash over comments by the country’s prime minister about the island of Taiwan.

Heavyweights clash as election of hawkish PM Sanae Takaichi and US policy unpredictability change calculus in region