Japan issued a travel advisory on Friday, urging its citizens in China (including those planning to travel to the mainland) to be careful and to pay extra attention to their safety in the wake of upcoming divisive anniversaries as well as the increasing tension between Tokyo and Beijing over territorial disputes in the East China Sea.

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In its travel notice, the Japanese embassy in China cited the upcoming 71st anniversary of the end of World War II on August 15 as well as two other critical dates in September marking important events in the history of Japan and China.

In the past weeks, the embassy said several Japanese nationals had been harassed in Beijing, although not in the magnitude as the violent 2012 China anti-Japanese protests.

Anti-Japanese demonstrations

The 2012 anti-Japanese demonstrations in China initially started as a peaceful expression of Chinese sentiments against Japan over the escalating dispute between the two countries regarding the Diaoyu Islands (known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan) in the East China Sea.

The demonstrations, held across China, turned violent as activists started tearing up Japanese flags, smashing Japanese-made cars, vandalizing Japanese stores selling goods, and hurling rocks at Japanese restaurants.

Many Chinese people are known to hold anti-Japanese sentiments, believing that Japan has never really owned up to its brutal invasion and occupation of China during World War II.

Sovereignty issue

Anti-Japanese feelings surfaces in China every now-and-then; especially when key events in the history of the two countries are observed.

Another source of the Chinese sentiments against Japan is the issue of sovereignty over islands in the East China Sea which are controlled by Japan but are being claimed by China.

Last week, Japan lodged a diplomatic protest at the Chinese embassy after 230 Chinese fishing vessels and seven Coast Guard ships entered Japanese waters and sailed near Japan-controlled islands.

Tagstravel advisory, World War II, 2012 China anti-Japanese protests, Senkaku Islands, East China Sea, china