Japanese and Taiwanese Netizens Flood Video with Criticism
Verbal Clash Ends Only After Police Arrive
A video showing a Chinese tourist in Japan shouting "Taiwan is China" at a Taiwanese tourist and forcing a political stance has gone viral on social networking services (SNS), drawing strong criticism from Japanese and Taiwanese netizens. The act of aggressively asserting the country’s "One China" principle even overseas has been called out as internationally disrespectful.
At Tokyo Haneda Airport in Japan, a woman presumed to be Chinese (red circle) was captured pointing her finger and shouting "Taiwan is China" at a woman presumed to be Taiwanese (blue circle). X (X)
On December 19, Yonhap News TV, citing foreign media such as Taiwan’s Sanli News, reported that a recent video posted on SNS captured several Chinese women shouting at a man at Tokyo Haneda Airport, sparking controversy. The video, filmed at Tokyo Haneda Airport, quickly spread after being posted on SNS, surpassing one million views. In the footage, a woman presumed to be Chinese is seen pointing her finger and repeatedly shouting, "Taiwan is China. When you go abroad, you must make your political stance clear," at a woman standing opposite her. The woman appeared to be accompanied by two other women and a man sitting on a bench.
At the time, the woman on the receiving end was explaining the situation to Japanese police in Japanese, when one of the Chinese women used insulting language and harshly criticized her. Meanwhile, a man in the Chinese group tried to calm the man on the opposite side and defuse the situation, but another woman in the group restrained him. It was only after three police officers arrived at the scene and protected the woman that the Chinese group ceased their behavior.
The video shows a man among the Chinese group trying to calm the other man, but a woman from the group stops him. X (X)
Japanese netizens who viewed the video criticized the Chinese tourists’ behavior as excessively aggressive and rude. Makoto Matsumaru, a former member of the Tokyo Adachi Ward Assembly with conservative views, commented, "It was shocking that when she explained in Japanese, they told her to 'speak in human language.' It’s as if China sees itself as the ruler of the world." Another netizen joined the criticism, saying, "If Taiwan is really part of China, why do you have to shout it so loudly?" and "Why come to Japan if you disregard the Japanese language?"
This controversy is drawing even more attention amid the ongoing tensions between China and Japan. The two countries remain in a strained relationship over issues such as the sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands (called Diaoyu Dao in China) and diplomatic statements regarding Taiwan. In this atmosphere, public opinion in Japan regarding Chinese tourists appears to be deteriorating.
In fact, while the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan has rapidly recovered to record highs since the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase in Chinese tourists has been relatively sluggish. According to Japanese government statistics, the monthly number of Chinese visitors has been recovering more slowly compared to other major countries. Analysts point to anti-Japanese sentiment in China and diplomatic tensions as factors affecting travel demand.
The Japanese tourism industry has expressed concern that this incident goes beyond a simple personal conflict and could impact private exchanges and the tourism sector due to political tensions. Experts have pointed out, "Tourism is directly linked to trust between nations, so it is necessary to refrain from expressing political claims or conflicts in public places."
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