Robberies in central Tokyo targeting Chinese nationals and their companions have intensified security anxieties around tourism in Japan, prompting Beijing to issue some of its starkest warnings yet and advise citizens to avoid travel to the country for now.

The latest violent street theft, involving the loss of suitcases reportedly stuffed with hundreds of millions of yen in cash, has become a flashpoint in an already fraught political and public opinion climate between Asia’s two largest economies.

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Violent Ueno Robbery Becomes Flashpoint

The immediate trigger for the newest wave of concern was a dramatic robbery near Tokyo’s Ueno district on the night of January 29, 2026. According to Japanese media reports cited by Chinese state outlets, a group comprising two Chinese nationals and three Japanese nationals was attacked by assailants using what appeared to be pepper spray or a similar chemical irritant. The thieves made off with multiple suitcases that investigators believe contained approximately 420 to 423 million yen in cash, equivalent to about 2.7 million US dollars.

The incident took place close to Ueno Station, a major transport and shopping hub that is heavily trafficked by both tourists and local residents. Initial accounts indicated that the group was approached on the street before being sprayed and robbed in a matter of moments. As of early February, police had yet to announce any arrests, and the suspects remained at large, raising questions about how such a high-value cash movement ended up vulnerable in a public setting that is normally marketed as safe and orderly.

For Chinese audiences, the optics of a violent robbery in what has long been promoted as one of the safest urban environments in Asia have proved jarring. Coverage in regional media has repeatedly juxtaposed the attack with the fact that Japan was recently ranked Asia’s safest country by a major travel insurance firm, underscoring the shock many Chinese travelers feel at witnessing high-profile crimes unfold in districts that appear in standard Tokyo sightseeing itineraries.

The unusual size of the cash haul has also intrigued observers, with speculation about why such sums were being carried in suitcases instead of through banking channels. Investigators have not publicly detailed the group’s purpose or the source of the money, but the case has nevertheless become a potent symbol in debates over whether tourists should reconsider assumptions about personal security in Japan’s big cities.

Chinese Embassy Reiterates Call to Avoid Travel

In the wake of the Ueno robbery, the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo issued an unusually direct restatement of its guidance to nationals: avoid traveling to Japan for the time being. The latest advisory, shared through the embassy’s social media channels and Chinese state media on January 30 and 31, urged citizens to reconsider trips during the busy Lunar New Year season and called on those already in Japan to stay highly alert to local security conditions.

Embassy statements emphasized that crimes “targeting Chinese nationals” have been reported with greater frequency and described the security environment for Chinese citizens as having “continued to worsen.” Officials said they had lodged formal representations with Japanese police, urging them to investigate the Ueno case swiftly and take “effective measures” to protect Chinese lives and property. The embassy also encouraged victims of crime to contact Chinese diplomatic missions promptly and preserve evidence to support police investigations.

These warnings follow a pattern of steadily escalating advisories from Beijing over the past year. In November 2025, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism jointly advised citizens to avoid travel to Japan, citing an alleged deterioration in local public security and what they called provocative remarks from Japan’s leadership on the Taiwan issue. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism followed up with its own formal statement reiterating that citizens should postpone travel and that those already in Japan should heighten vigilance, monitor local developments and be prepared to contact consular officials in emergencies.

Chinese consulates in major Japanese cities, including the Consulate General in Osaka, have also issued more localized alerts. These have pointed to recent incidents in which Chinese tourists or residents were assaulted or robbed in places such as Osaka Prefecture and Tokyo’s central wards, and have called on travelers to avoid poorly lit areas and late-night outings, and to remain especially careful in crowded transport hubs and entertainment districts.

Japan’s “Safe Destination” Image Under Scrutiny

For Japan’s tourism sector, the timing and tone of China’s warnings present a serious reputational challenge. Japan has long promoted itself as a low-crime destination where visitors can feel comfortable walking city streets at night and leaving belongings briefly unattended in cafes or trains. That image received a significant boost when a major travel insurance provider rated Japan the safest country in Asia for 2026, pointing to low rates of violent street crime and strict law enforcement.

The Ueno robbery has not suddenly made Tokyo unsafe in a statistical sense, but it has highlighted a gap between perception and reality. In raw numbers, police data show that overall criminal cases in Japan have ticked up in recent years after a long decline. Figures cited by Chinese diplomatic statements point to an increase in reported criminal offenses between 2021 and 2024, including a rise in serious violent crimes categorized as abduction, arson, homicide, robbery, rape and sexual assault. Although Japan’s absolute crime levels remain low compared with many countries, the upward trend has been seized upon by Chinese media as evidence that public security is “deteriorating.”

Industry analysts note that even isolated high-profile crimes can have an outsized impact on travel decisions, especially when amplified through social media. Videos of street attacks, pickpocketing and late-night confrontations in entertainment districts such as Shinjuku and Shibuya circulate widely on Chinese platforms, often without contextual data that might show crime rates remain relatively low. The result is a narrative in which Tokyo’s safety reputation appears to be eroding more quickly than crime statistics alone would suggest.

Japanese officials counter that police continue to maintain strong public order and that violent attacks on tourists are still very rare. Yet the current diplomatic climate makes it difficult for Tokyo to blunt the narrative emerging from Beijing’s warnings. For many would-be Chinese visitors weighing destinations for 2026 and beyond, the knowledge that their own government is advising against travel, combined with dramatic reports about robberies in tourist districts, may be enough to prompt a shift toward other Asian destinations.

Diplomatic Crisis and the Taiwan Factor

The security debate around travel is closely entwined with a wider diplomatic crisis between China and Japan that has unfolded since late 2025. Tensions spiked after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told lawmakers in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Japan. Beijing denounced the remarks as a provocation and accused Tokyo of interfering in China’s internal affairs, while Japanese officials defended the comments as consistent with existing security policy and the need to protect regional stability.

In response, China rolled out a series of retaliatory measures that extended well beyond formal diplomatic protests. Travel warnings became a central element of this strategy. On November 14, 2025, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism formally advised Chinese citizens to avoid trips to Japan. Shortly afterward, major Chinese airlines, including Air China, China Southern and China Eastern, announced that tickets for Japan routes could be refunded or changed free of charge, initially through December 31 and later extended through much of 2026.

These steps came on top of a high-profile incident in 2024 involving anti-Japanese violence in China, which had already unsettled Japanese communities and businesses on the mainland. The new flare-up over Taiwan, however, moved the focal point back to Japan itself. Chinese official narratives now intertwine concerns about political tension, discrimination against Chinese nationals and alleged increases in criminal activity, creating a broader case for why travel to Japan entails heightened risk.

Japanese leaders have publicly objected to Beijing’s portrayal of conditions in their country, arguing that cross-border tourism should be insulated from political disputes and that large-scale people-to-people exchange is vital for mutual understanding. Yet the decision by Chinese authorities to wield travel advisories and airline refund policies as tools of diplomatic pressure has clearly had an impact, especially as the Tokyo robbery saga continues to dominate headlines.

Tourism Numbers, Economic Stakes and Traveler Reactions

Before the latest crisis, China was Japan’s single largest source of foreign visitors. In 2025, Japan recorded more than 42 million inbound tourists overall, a record high, but the number of Chinese tourists fell sharply in the final months of the year. Industry data cited by regional media indicate that arrivals from China dropped by around 45 percent in December compared with earlier in the year, even as travelers from other markets continued to pour into Japanese cities and resort areas.

For airlines, hotels, retailers and regional tourism boards that have spent years cultivating the Chinese market, that decline represents a stark reversal. Popular duty-free shopping districts in Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka have reported fewer Chinese-speaking tour groups, and some outlets that once relied on outbound spending from China have begun pivoting to Southeast Asian and Western visitors. With Beijing’s latest appeals for citizens to stay away from Japan during Lunar New Year and beyond, operators now face prolonged uncertainty over when, or if, the Chinese market will return to pre-crisis levels.

Individual travelers, meanwhile, are responding in varied ways. Some Chinese tourists continue to visit Japan in smaller numbers, sharing social media posts that emphasize relatively normal experiences and the presence of visible policing in tourist areas. Others report heightened anxiety about carrying cash, using late-night public transport or visiting entertainment districts, and say they are building extra precautions into their itineraries, such as traveling in larger groups or purchasing additional travel insurance.

Japanese travel agencies and regional governments are attempting to reassure visitors by highlighting safety initiatives, multilingual emergency hotlines and clear routes to contact local authorities. However, with official Chinese guidance explicitly recommending that citizens avoid Japan, there are limits to how far marketing campaigns can shift sentiment in the near term. For now, the balance of risk perception appears to be tipping away from Tokyo and other Japanese cities for many would-be Chinese tourists.

How Tourists Are Adjusting Their Safety Habits

The rhetoric surrounding the Tokyo robbery and subsequent advisories has pushed practical safety tips to the forefront of travel discussions. Chinese consular notices encourage visitors who are already in Japan to avoid carrying large sums of cash, keep communication channels open with friends and family, and stay away from areas with reputations for nightlife crime or poor street lighting. Travelers are advised to be especially alert in crowded locations such as subway stations, bus terminals and major tourist attractions where pickpockets may operate.

Beyond the Chinese community, many international tourists are now reviewing basic precautions that may have felt unnecessary in Japan a few years ago. These include using hotel safes for passports and valuables, splitting payment cards and emergency cash between different bags, and pre-registering with home-country consular services where available. Some visitors have also begun tracking local crime news more closely during their stays, particularly if they are based in Tokyo wards or Osaka neighborhoods that have appeared in recent reports.

Specialists in travel risk management stress that common-sense behavior remains effective. They point out that walking alone late at night in quiet side streets, agreeing to unsolicited money-changing offers, or displaying high-end watches and shopping bags can increase vulnerability in any major city, including Japan’s. At the same time, they caution against overreaction: despite the headlines, the likelihood of a typical tourist encountering serious violent crime in central Tokyo remains low by global standards.

Still, the Tokyo robbery and the political row that surrounds it have marked a psychological shift. For many travelers, the assumption that “nothing bad ever happens” in Japan’s big cities has been replaced by a more cautious realism, where basic safety planning is seen as a prerequisite rather than an optional extra, especially for visitors who are visibly carrying valuable purchases or cash.

FAQ

Q1. What exactly happened in the recent Tokyo robbery involving Chinese nationals?
The most widely reported incident occurred on the night of January 29, 2026 near Ueno Station in Tokyo, when a group of two Chinese nationals and three Japanese nationals was attacked on the street by suspects using pepper spray or a similar substance. The assailants stole several suitcases believed to contain roughly 420 to 423 million yen in cash, and as of early February, police had not publicly announced any arrests.

Q2. Why has China advised its citizens to avoid travel to Japan now?
China’s Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo have cited what they describe as a deteriorating security environment for Chinese citizens in Japan, pointing to recent robberies and assaults involving Chinese nationals as well as heightened political tensions over Taiwan. Against that backdrop, they have formally recommended that Chinese citizens postpone travel and that those already in Japan increase their safety precautions.

Q3. How do these advisories affect travel during the Lunar New Year holiday?
The latest embassy messages were issued just ahead of the busy Lunar New Year period and specifically urged Chinese citizens not to choose Japan as a destination during the holiday. For many families and group tours, this advisory has led to cancellations or rebooking to other countries, as well as airline policies allowing free refunds or changes on Japan-bound tickets during the peak season.

Q4. Is Japan still considered safe for foreign tourists overall?
Japan continues to rank among the safest destinations in Asia by many objective measures, with relatively low rates of violent street crime compared with numerous other countries. However, recent high-profile incidents involving large sums of money and visible attacks in tourist districts have chipped away at its reputation for near-absolute safety, prompting travelers and governments alike to adjust their risk assessments and recommend more caution.

Q5. Are crimes specifically targeting Chinese tourists on the rise?
Chinese diplomatic statements and some local authorities in Hong Kong and mainland China have reported what they describe as a rising number of crimes and discriminatory incidents involving Chinese nationals in Japan since mid-2025. Japanese crime statistics do not always categorize victims by nationality in publicly available summaries, so the exact scale is difficult to verify, but Beijing’s repeated references to “frequent” incidents have played a central role in shaping public perception.

Q6. How has Japan responded to Beijing’s travel warnings?
Japanese officials have expressed regret and concern over China’s advisories, arguing that public security remains strong and that political disputes should not be allowed to impede tourism and people-to-people exchange. At the same time, Japanese police are under pressure to quickly resolve high-profile cases like the Ueno robbery and to demonstrate that they are taking the safety of foreign residents and visitors, including Chinese nationals, seriously.

Q7. What practical steps can travelers take if they still plan to visit Tokyo?
Travelers who decide to proceed with trips to Tokyo are advised to follow standard urban safety practices: avoid carrying large amounts of cash, keep wallets and phones secure in crowded places, stay in well-lit areas at night, and travel in groups when possible. It is also wise to keep copies of passports and key documents, register contact details with one’s embassy, familiarize oneself with local emergency numbers and know how to reach hotel staff or tour operators quickly if problems arise.

Q8. Will travel insurance cover incidents like the Ueno robbery?
Coverage depends on the specific travel insurance policy. Many policies include benefits for theft, robbery and medical expenses resulting from crime, but they may have limits or exclusions related to carrying unusually large sums of cash or engaging in business activities. Travelers should review their policy wording carefully before departure to understand what is and is not covered and consider upgrading to a plan that explicitly addresses personal property and emergency assistance.

Q9. How are airlines and tour operators reacting to the situation?
Major Chinese airlines have introduced flexible refund and change policies for flights to and from Japan, in line with government advisories. Some tour operators have paused new group departures to Japan or shifted capacity to other destinations in Asia and Europe. Within Japan, tourism boards and travel companies are increasing safety messaging and multilingual support in an effort to reassure remaining visitors and maintain bookings from non-Chinese markets.

Q10. Could these tensions have long-term effects on Japan’s tourism industry?
If travel advisories and political frictions persist, the impact on tourism could be substantial and long lasting, since Chinese visitors historically make up a large share of Japan’s inbound market and spending. Extended declines in Chinese arrivals would likely force Japanese destinations and businesses to diversify further into other source markets and could reshape travel patterns across East Asia, even if crime levels in Japan remain comparatively low.