Facing reprisals from Beijing for a remark over Taiwan, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi must walk a fine line to prevent escalating the dispute without looking weak at home.

Japanese jazz musician Yoshio Suzuki and his band were in the midst of a sound check for some long-awaited performances in Beijing when the venue was visited by plain-clothes police on Thursday afternoon.

If Japan’s hawkish new prime minister, Takaichi Sanae, has her way, Japan’s security evolution will quicken. The country’s military build-up is a response to increasingly aggressive neighbours in China and North Korea and to an ever more unreliable ally in America.

Beijing is flexing its military and economic might to show its displeasure with the Japanese leader’s comments about defending Taiwan. But its aggressive approach risks backfiring.

Japan has warned its citizens in China to step up safety precautions and avoid crowded places, amid a deepening dispute between Asia's two largest economies over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments on Taiwan.

Tension between Japan and China has escalated over the new Japanese leader's suggestion Tokyo could intervene militarily if Beijing attacks Taiwan.

Residents in the northern region of Akita are living in fear after dozens of assaults on humans. Riot police and the army have been sent to help.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te posted pictures on social media of himself eating Japanese-sourced sushi on Thursday to show his support for Japan in a bitter and worsening diplomatic dispute with China.