Many flights between China and Japan are canceled due to geopolitical tensions between the two countries, sometimes leaving connecting travelers in the lurch.
Traveling to Japan via mainland China can have unpleasant surprises in store for air passengers. In a context of diplomatic tensions, China has called on national airlines to drastically reduce their service to the Japanese archipelago. At the height of tensions, in November 2025, several carriers such as Air China, China Eastern and China Southern canceled thousands of flights and suspended several connections between the two countries.
Europeans leaving for Tokyo or Osaka who have planned a stopover in Shanghai or Beijing therefore risk being confronted with the following problem: if their flight to China is maintained, the connection to Japan may be canceled, sometimes with short notice. And the problem is likely to arise on the way back, sometimes involving having to buy a ticket at full price.
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«My return flight from Japan which is canceled due to tensions between Japan and China, I find myself taking two return tickets twice as expensive“, regrets @YanisT0crate on X. “Air China which is simply canceling its flights from China to Japan without any possible modification for April“, complains another traveler who planned to connect Geneva to Osaka via Beijing.
Travelers “left to their own devices”
«Injured passengers are often left to their own devices because local law does not protect them as much as theEuropean law . They can, at best, be placed on the rare maintained flights, but this is not guaranteed» warns Thierry Maincent, president of the Japan Experience agency. And added: “We have stopped offering our customers flights transiting through China since tensions reignited at the end of 2025. Instead, we are favoring alternatives with EVA Air via Taiwan or Korean Air via China.South Korea generally more expensive than Chinese and Gulf companies but cheaper than a direct flight.»
From Paris Charles-de-Gaulle, direct flights are operated by Air France to Tokyo and Osaka, as well as by All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) to Tokyo. An alternative, often more economical, is to stopover in a major hub like Hong Kong, Seoul or Istanbul. Finally, travelers who still wish to transit through China can, as a precaution, opt for a Japanese company (which maintains all of their flights) to fly between China and Japan.
