Sino-Japanese Tensions Continue: 31 Routes Canceled in May

(CNA correspondent Liao Wenqi, Shanghai, 3rd) Sino-Japanese relations remain tense. The latest statistics from Flight Manager DAST show that in May, a total of 31 China-Japan air routes had all flights canceled, an increase from April. Throughout May, 1,592 flights from China to Japan were canceled, a cancellation rate of 37.6%. According to a report by Chinese media outlet Yicai, 31 China-Japan routes had all flights canceled in May, with a total of 1,592 flights from China to Japan canceled, a rate of 37.6%. In April, 30 routes had all flights canceled, with 1,543 flights canceled, a rate of 37.7%. After Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba made remarks about a 'Taiwan contingency' last November, Beijing urged citizens to avoid traveling to Japan. Japan's Kyodo News recently reported that not only has the number of Chinese tourists to Japan plummeted, but the scale of Japanese travelers to China has also sharply decreased. A recent wave of cancellations, coupled with significant cuts in flights, has led to a 90% drop in the number of Japanese tourists. Sino-Japanese relations remain tense. According to NHK, Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, in a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue on May 31, countered Beijing's previous criticism of Japan as a 'new type of militarism,' stating, 'It is strange for a country that possesses a large number of nuclear weapons and strategic bombers to call Japan, which has neither, a new type of militarism.' Meng Xiangqing, a professor at the PLA National Defense University leading the Chinese delegation, criticized Japan, saying, 'There are still forces that openly glorify war crimes, promote a wrong view of WWII history, attempt to overturn the history of aggression, and even try to break through the constraints of the post-war peace system.' (Editor: Yang Shengru) 1150603