Six Chinese airlines announced on Saturday that tickets for Japan routes could be changed or refunded free of charge. The airlines are Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, and Xiamen Airlines.

On Friday night, the Chinese Foreign Ministry posted on its consular affairs account on WeChat advising Chinese citizens against traveling to Japan in the near future.

The post cited the Japanese leader's provocative comments, which it said "severely worsened the atmosphere of people-to-people exchanges between China and Japan, and posed a significant risk to the personal safety and lives of Chinese citizens in Japan."

(With input from Xinhua)