Images of a senior Japanese official appearing to bow before his Chinese counterpart have gone viral on Chinese social media, promp

By Joseph Campbell and John Geddie TOKYO (Reuters) -Within days of China urging its citizens not to travel to Japan due to a diplomatic dispute, Tokyo-based tour operator East Japan International Travel Service had lost 80% of its bookings for the remainder of the year.

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.

Tensions spiraled on Nov. 8, when Takaichi said that a Chinese attempt to seize Taiwan by force would constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan.

First China’s consul-general in Osaka threatened to behead the Japanese Prime Minister. Then Beijing launched a volley of bombastic military threats. Next came the economic sanctions.

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.

BEIJING/TOKYO >> Japan has warned its citizens in China to step up safety precautions and avoid crowded places, amid a deepening dispute between Asia’s two largest economies over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan.

Comments were the latest attack from Beijing after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent comments about Taiwan.

An opening attempt to cool tensions between China and Japan appears to have fallen flat, signaling that the diplomatic spat is likely to drag on and stoking concerns about further strain in economic ties.