Tension between Japan and China has escalated over the new Japanese leader's suggestion Tokyo could intervene militarily if Beijing attacks Taiwan.

China advised its citizens Friday to refrain from traveling to Japan in the near future. It cited earlier attacks against Chinese in Japan and what it called Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi 's "erroneous remarks" on Taiwan, which it said undermined the atmosphere for China-Japan exchange.

Tokyo's foreign envoy has reportedly left the Chinese foreign ministry building in Beijing without responding to questions from the media. Masaaki Kanai had met his Chinese counterpart Liu Jinsong to lay out Tokyo's position on Taiwan.

Diplomatic storms often begin with a few carefully chosen words, yet they can quickly escalate into actions that affect millions of ordinary citizens. The latest tension between China and Japan illustrates this perfectly,

The Japanese public is divided on whether Japan should exercise its right to collective self-defence if China attacks Taiwan, a Kyodo news agency poll found on Sunday.

Victim who is ‘slapped hard’ on the buttocks chases assailant, kicks him in the belly; police respond by saying there is nothing they can do.