政治

A Tsukiji Restaurant Lower Prices Due to Tourist Drop Following PM Takaichi's Remarks over Taiwan? Prices Lowered Before Remarks [Fact Check]

木山竣策(Shunsaku Kiyama)

2025年12月8日

Amid reports of a wave of cancellations by Chinese tourists following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks over Taiwan, an image circulated online alleging that a Tokyo restaurant popular among tourists had implemented “emergency price cuts.” However, this claim is inaccurate: the restaurant had already reduced its prices before Takaichi made the comment.

The Claim

On November 25, 2025, a post with an image circulated stating, "Emergency price cuts at Tsukiji, where Chinese tourists have disappeared."

The image displays the name of the restaurant "Matakoiya," photos of seafood bowls (kaisendon), and text reading "Limited Time Price Cut."

Why we fact-checked this:

As of November 28, this post has been reposted over 1,100 times and has gathered over 830,000 views. While some comments on the post remarked, "This price after a cut? How much were they selling it for?" and "From rip-off prices to normal prices," others pointed out, "You aren't spreading rumors based on speculation, are you?"

Verification Process

Chinese Foreign Ministry Calls for Restraint in Travel to Japan

On November 7, Takaichi told a Lower House committee that an emergency over Taiwan involving the use of military force could be regarded as a situation that would threaten Japan's survival.

In response, on November 14, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Chinese nationals to refrain from visiting Japan for the time being. Following this, it has been reported that reservation cancellations by Chinese tourists are occurring one after another across variousす regions (Sankei Shimbun, "Anxiety and Reality of China Risk: 2,000 Chinese Tour Reservations Cancelled, Demands for Waived Cancellation Fees," Nov 23, 2025; FNN Prime Online, "Over 1,000 Chinese Tour Guest Cancellations; Long-established Hotel President: 'They want cancellation fees waived, but that puts us in a bind' Nov 20, 2025).

The Restaurant Had Lowered Prices Before PM’s Remarks

The circulated image shows the restaurant’s name "Matakoiya" along with photos of seafood bowls and their prices.

Searching the image with Google Lens reveals a similar image posted in August 2025 as a review for "Matakoiya Sohonten" in Tsukiji on the restaurant guide site "Tabelog." Comparing it with the circulated image, the menu format, prices, and the "Limited Time Price Cut" sign match.

There are other similar images on Tabelog posted by different customers in August. While it is unclear exactly when the circulated image was taken, the posting dates indicate that "Matakoiya Sohonten" had been offering lower prices since before the Takaichi remarks.

Our rating:Misleading and Inaccurate

Although the exact date the circulated image was taken is unknown, this Tsukiji restaurant had already lowered its prices before the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued its call for travel restraint. Therefore, the post suggesting a temporary price cut due to their absence is misleading and inaccurate.

Sources/References

Sankei Shimbun: "Anxiety and Reality of China Risk: 2,000 Chinese Tour Reservations Cancelled, Demands for Waived Cancellation Fees." https://www.sankei.com/article/20251123-DQXZU3JTR5J7BEXM57QBNYHW4Y/ (Accessed Nov 28, 2025)

FNN Prime Online: "Over 1,000 Chinese Tour Guest Cancellations; Long-established Hotel President: 'They want cancellation fees waived, but that puts us in a bind.'" https://www.fnn.jp/articles/-/963237?display=full (Accessed Nov 28, 2025)

Fact-check by：Shunsaku Kiyama
Edited by:Ayako Nezu, Kamome Fujimori, Daisuke Furuta

※This is the English version of the article below.