Both countries have summoned each other’s ambassadors after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could draw a military response from Tokyo.

China warned students planning to study in Japan of heightened risks for Chinese citizens in the country as a diplomatic spat sparked by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan shows no sign of easing.

PM Sanae Takaichi broke years of precedent by hinting that Japan could provide military support for Taiwan under certain “worst-case” scenarios such as a Chinese attack.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute “a survival-threatening situation” for Japan, drawing sharp criticisms from Beijing.

China sent a coast guard formation through the disputed Senkaku waters on Sunday, stepping up pressure on Japan amid a growing diplomatic row sparked by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent remarks on Taiwan.

A Chinese diplomat’s call to cut off the prime minister’s “filthy head” signaled a revival of a combative style Beijing had tried to dial back.

Chinese foreign ministry calls Japanese leader’s remarks ‘egregiously wrong’ and urges Tokyo ‘to immediately correct itself’.