Less than a month into her term, Japan's conservative leader has stirred tensions with China by suggesting a Chinese move against Taiwan could prompt a Japanese military response.

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.

An off-the-cuff remark by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi triggered Japan's biggest bust-up with China in years.

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

From China’s point of view, the Japanese Prime Minister’s remarks on Taiwan test a red line - a trigger that sets this dispute apart from past flare-ups, analysts say.

Japan is mounting a broad diplomatic effort to ease tensions with China after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan sparked a sharp backlash from Beijing that raised fears of a breakdown in economic ties.

Film distributors have suspended the screening of at least two Japanese films in China amid a deepening dispute between Tokyo and Beijing, in what state broadcaster CCTV said was a "prudent decision" that took into account souring domestic audience sentiment.