The diplomatic row over comments on Taiwan has evolved from a war of words to Beijing advising its citizens against travelling and studying abroad in Japan.

Taiwan is watching anxiously as it finds itself at the centre of a verbal clash between Beijing and Tokyo, fuelling fears that Taipei could be drawn into a major international conflict. The escalating row erupted after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated a Taiwan crisis could be a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan,

Takaichi this month became the first sitting Japanese leader in decades to publicly link a Taiwan Strait crisis with the possible deployment of Japanese troops, prompting Beijing to unleash a flurry of economic reprisals and threats of more retribution.

Chinese officials are fuming over the Japanese prime minister's remarks about intervention during a Taiwan contingency.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi continues to bask in high popularity, surveys showed Monday, even as ties with China worsen and the economy stutters. The cabinet of the nationalist leader had a 69-percent approval rating while 17 percent of survey participants disapproved,

The Japanese leader only sleeps two to four hours a night—and has personally pledged to ditch work-life balance in favor of “work, work, work.”

Japan ranks low in gender equality among developed nations. The first woman to lead the country is an ultraconservative who cites Margaret Thatcher as a role model. She also loves heavy metal.

Move signals increasingly sour ties over new Japanese leader’s remarks on Taiwan. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.