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

Diplomatic storms often begin with a few carefully chosen words, yet they can quickly escalate into actions that affect millions of ordinary citizens. The latest tension between China and Japan illustrates this perfectly,

China advised its citizens Friday to refrain from traveling to Japan in the near future. It cited earlier attacks against Chinese in Japan and what it called Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi 's "erroneous remarks" on Taiwan, which it said undermined the atmosphere for China-Japan exchange.

Japan scrambled fighter jets on Sunday after accusing China of flying a drone near its southern island of Yonaguni amid rising tensions between the Asian countries. Chinese coast guard vessels spent several hours in Japan’s territorial waters around the disputed Senkaku Islands,

Withdrawal follows PM Takaichi’s Taiwan comments, prompting Beijing to issue warnings and cancel exchange events.

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.

The postponement comes barely two weeks after remarks about Taiwan by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sparked a heated response from China and kicked off the most serious diplomatic clash between the two East Asian powers in years.