She’s not fit to be prime minister!’ In a country no longer accustomed to political gatherings, the images made for striking television. Even Shinzo Abe, with his strong conservative and anti-Chinese positions, ‘never touched this issue’, said a senior member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the ruling party over which Takaichi presides. China’s response was swift: seafood imports were halted, tours by Japanese musicians were cancelled and Chinese tourists were urged not to visit Japan. Chinese visitors account for the largest number of tourists to Japan (nearly 7 million in 2024) after Koreans. China is the world’s second largest economy and Japan’s most important trading partner but relations with the LDP are tense.