Japan businesses brush off worries over China tourists

Tokyo: Shiina Ito has had fewer Chinese customers at her Tokyo jewellery shop since Beijing issued a travel warning in the wake of a diplomatic spat,...

Tokyo: Shiina Ito has had fewer Chinese customers at her Tokyo jewellery shop since Beijing issued a travel warning in the wake of a diplomatic spat, but she said she was not concerned.

A souring of Beijing-Tokyo relations this month, following remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi about Taiwan, has fuelled concerns about the impact on the ritzy boutiques, noodle joints and hotels where holidaymakers spend their cash.

But businesses in Tokyo largely shrugged off any anxiety.

"Since there are fewer Chinese customers, it's become a bit easier for Japanese shoppers to visit, so our sales haven't really dropped," shop manager Ito told AFP.

Chinese buyers normally make up half of the clientele at her business in the capital's traditional Asakusa district, where crowds of tourists stroll through shop-lined alleys.