China Airlines cancels 49 routes to Japan

It has been nearly three months since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made comments about Taiwan in which she said an emergency involving the use of force could pose an “existentially threatening situation” for Japan. The comments angered Chinese officials, with the country’s foreign ministry urging its citizens not to travel to Japan. Since then, relations between the two countries have continued to breakdown, with Japan’s Defense Ministry repeating its warning in a social media post on Monday, saying “Chinese citizens in Japan face serious security threats.” Chinese airlines also continue to cancel flights to Japan.

Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae | Wikimedia

China Airlines extends Japan flight cancellation and rescheduling deadline

according to china dailyThe cancellation rate of flights from mainland China to Japan this month was 47.2%, an increase of 7.8 percentage points from December. On Monday, information platform Flying Master revealed that all scheduled flights on 49 China-Japan routes in February 2026 have been cancelled. Also on Monday, China’s largest airlines – Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines – announced that they would extend the cancellation and rescheduling deadline for Japan-related flights to October 24. Previously, passengers could enjoy free refunds or rescheduled flights to March 28.

Giant panda cubs “Xiaoxiao” and “Leilei” returned to China on January 27, 2026 | Picture from X Ueno Zoo

The End of China-Japan Panda Diplomacy

In addition to a sharp decline in Chinese tourism in Japan, Beijing has reportedly stepped up scrutiny of Japan’s exports of rare earths and other rare metals. On top of that, this week Japan waved goodbye to China’s two remaining giant pandas. Thousands of visitors flocked to Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo on Sunday to say goodbye to twin cubs Xiaoxiao and Lei Lei, born in 2021 to parents Xinxin and Lili. This is the first time since 1972 that Japan has left Japan without pandas. They left the country on Tuesday.

“I’ve been coming to see them since they were born,” Nene Hashino, a woman in her 40s, told the media. guardian. She added, “It feels like one of my own children is going somewhere far away. It’s sad.” With relations deteriorating between the two countries, the prospects of China loaning pandas to Japan in the near future appear slim. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, China began using giant pandas as diplomatic gifts to strengthen relations with other countries. However, China retains ownership of all giant pandas it loans overseas.

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