Japanese companies operating in China fell 22.4% in two years to 10,118 as of June 2026, a decline of 2,916 from 13,034 in 2024, a Teikoku Databank survey found, a year after Prime Minister Takaichi's remarks on a Taiwan contingency.
The count is down 4,276, or 29.7%, from the 2012 peak of 14,394, the survey by the credit research firm showed. Beijing responded to the November 7, 2025 parliamentary answer by urging citizens to refrain from travel to Japan and effectively halting imports of Japanese seafood.
One executive's verdict, as quoted in the coverage, was blunt: there is no longer any merit in expanding into the market.
Pressure from Beijing
The article describes pressure from President Xi Jinping's government and what it calls blatant harassment of Japanese businesses. Xi, 73, has also faced speculation about his health.
He canceled a banquet and flew home abruptly after an international conference in India last month, and his whereabouts were unknown until he appeared in Washington on September 23 for a US-China summit. The Wall Street Journal reported that poor health was the cause, according to the coverage.
It is the third time questions about Xi's health have circulated since he became China's top leader in 2012.