A Japanese cosmetics company has apologised after one of its stores put up a sign banning Chinese people from entering. The incident is unlikely to enhance already delicate bilateral relations between Japan and China, two neighbours with a long history of tensions, from regional disputes to historical clashes. It also raises the issue of lingering hostility among some Japanese to foreign visitors, despite the government’s attempts to boost inbound shopping-driven tourism, which is mainly fuelled by Chinese visitors.
The sign, which was handwritten in Japanese, was placed in the window of a Pola shop, which operates 4,600 cosmetics outlets across Japan and read: “Entry by Chinese police prohibited.”
Pola issued a statement apologising for causing “unpleasant feelings and inconvenience to many people” and confirmed it had removed the offending sign.
The statement, written in Chinese and Japanese and posted on its website, added: “As soon as we confirm the facts, we will suspend operations at the store and implement strict punishment.”
However, the company’s apology failed to halt photography of the offending sign reportedly going viral on a number Chinese and Taiwanese social media.
The incident comes at a sensitive time for Japan, with prime minister Shinzo Abe actively supporting policies aimed at enhancing Chinese-fuelled inbound tourism in the run up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. China is one of Japan’s key targets for its so-called shopping tourism, with a weaker yen and a relaxation of visa entry rules attracting a surge in Chinese visitors targeting retail hotspots across Japan in recent years. Against a backdrop of record overseas tourists visiting Japan, Chinese visitors hit 6.2 million in the 12 months leading to October, marking a 13 per cent rise compared to the previous year, according to government figures.
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