An article co-authored by Victor Ferguson, a visiting researcher of ESIL, RCAST, the University of Tokyo, and Audrye Wong has been published an article titled “China Revives Economic Coercion to Punish Japan – Beijing wields travel advisories and import bans rather than formal sanctions.” in The Wall Street Journal Opinion (Nov.30, 2025).
In response to Prime Minister Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan, China is intensifying economic pressure on Japan through tourism, study abroad programs, and Japanese seafood products, rather than imposing explicit sanctions. This is amplifying the impact on the Japanese economy, and the difficulty in controlling pressure that mobilizes public opinion heightens the risk of destabilizing Sino-Japanese relations and escalation. While China is developing formal sanction mechanisms, it continues to rely on informal methods when legal and political legitimacy is lacking. The article points out that while such methods offer flexibility and deniability, they also become destabilizing factors that worsen crises. Furthermore, it states that governments worldwide need to coordinate responses and strengthen resilience to counter China’s ongoing coercion.
For details, please see here (The Wall Street Journal Opinion).