Last week, Tokyo’s top defense official toured Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) and Coast Guard facilities across the southwestern islands – including a base located 70 nautical miles away from Taiwan.

China's defence ministry said on Thursday that Japan will have to pay a "painful price" if it steps out of line over Taiwan, responding to Japanese plans to deploy missiles on an island some 100 km (62 miles) from Taiwan's coast.

The remarks come amid the two countries’ worst diplomatic crisis in years, after the Japanese prime minister said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent remarks started a major row with Beijing and shone a fresh spotlight on Japan’s strategic thinking.

China closed off Japanese seafood imports after Japan’s new leader declared strong support for Taiwan. Suddenly, sushi is everywhere on Taiwanese social media.

Japan’s defense minister, visiting a military base close to Taiwan, said plans to deploy missiles to the post were on track as tensions smolder between Tokyo and Beijing over the East Asian island.

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.

Japan is rejecting a Wall Street Journal report claiming US President Donald Trump asked Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae to moderate her stance on Taiwan. The article cited US and Japanese officials, and was published amid escalating tensions between Beijing and Tokyo following Takaichi’s comment that an attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Japan.

Micron Technology Inc. will spend ¥1.5 trillion ($9.6 billion) to build a plant in western Japan to make memory chips for artificial intelligence applications, Nikkei newspaper reported.