With the nine-day 2026 Lunar New Year break about to begin, China’s Foreign Ministry and its embassy and consulates in Japan have issued an unusually blunt advisory urging Chinese nationals to “refrain from travelling to Japan in the near term.” The notice, published on 26 January, cites a spike in crimes targeting Chinese tourists, a string of strong earthquakes that continue to rattle central Japan, and official Japanese warnings of possible aftershocks.
The advisory recommends that Chinese citizens already in Japan stay alert to local security bulletins, monitor seismic warnings and avoid large gatherings. Travellers are told to keep passports and valuables separate, steer clear of high-crime neighbourhoods, and contact Chinese missions immediately in an emergency.
For those who must proceed with essential travel despite the warning, VisaHQ can help cut through administrative hurdles. The online service (https://www.visahq.com/china/) tracks the latest visa and entry requirements, offers application assistance, and provides expedited courier options—support that can be invaluable for corporate mobility teams juggling last-minute itinerary shifts.
![China cautions citizens against Japan travel over Spring Festival; major airlines waive change fees]()
China’s three largest carriers—Air China, China Eastern and China Southern—moved quickly to accommodate worried passengers. Tickets issued before 26 January for China–Japan itineraries from 29 March through 24 October 2026 now qualify for free refunds or date changes, an expansion of an earlier waiver that ended on 28 March. Industry data from Flight Master show 49 China–Japan routes will be fully suspended in February, with Beijing Daxing–Kansai alone losing 113 flights.
The timing matters for multinational employers that rely on short-notice travel between the two economies. Human-resources teams should review upcoming assignments, check whether staff fall under the new refund window, and explore alternative routings through South Korea or Southeast Asia, which have supplanted Japan as the top outbound destinations on Chinese booking platforms this year. Companies with duty-of-care programmes should also update traveller tracking and emergency-response protocols to reflect the latest Chinese guidance.
Longer term, the advisory underscores how quickly geopolitical or natural-hazard factors can disrupt established corridors. Corporate mobility managers may wish to diversify regional hubs and ensure that Japanese visas, residency cards and insurance policies for PRC employees remain valid should travel resume at short notice.
The advisory recommends that Chinese citizens already in Japan stay alert to local security bulletins, monitor seismic warnings and avoid large gatherings. Travellers are told to keep passports and valuables separate, steer clear of high-crime neighbourhoods, and contact Chinese missions immediately in an emergency.
For those who must proceed with essential travel despite the warning, VisaHQ can help cut through administrative hurdles. The online service (https://www.visahq.com/china/) tracks the latest visa and entry requirements, offers application assistance, and provides expedited courier options—support that can be invaluable for corporate mobility teams juggling last-minute itinerary shifts.
China’s three largest carriers—Air China, China Eastern and China Southern—moved quickly to accommodate worried passengers. Tickets issued before 26 January for China–Japan itineraries from 29 March through 24 October 2026 now qualify for free refunds or date changes, an expansion of an earlier waiver that ended on 28 March. Industry data from Flight Master show 49 China–Japan routes will be fully suspended in February, with Beijing Daxing–Kansai alone losing 113 flights.
The timing matters for multinational employers that rely on short-notice travel between the two economies. Human-resources teams should review upcoming assignments, check whether staff fall under the new refund window, and explore alternative routings through South Korea or Southeast Asia, which have supplanted Japan as the top outbound destinations on Chinese booking platforms this year. Companies with duty-of-care programmes should also update traveller tracking and emergency-response protocols to reflect the latest Chinese guidance.
Longer term, the advisory underscores how quickly geopolitical or natural-hazard factors can disrupt established corridors. Corporate mobility managers may wish to diversify regional hubs and ensure that Japanese visas, residency cards and insurance policies for PRC employees remain valid should travel resume at short notice.
