Nationwide transportation peak continues as Spring Festival travel rush enters Day 12

China's Spring Festival travel rush continued to remain at high intensity on Friday, the 12th day of the 40-day period that started on Feb 2 this year, as transportation systems nationwide have kept handling surging passenger flows, official data showed.

On Friday, the national railway system is expected to handle 15.1 million passenger trips, and 2,117 additional passenger trains are planned, particularly on popular routes and key sections, to meet rising demand ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday running from Feb 15 to 23.

National highways are operating smoothly despite heavy traffic, with an estimated 42 million vehicle trips on Friday.

Heavy traffic is reported on the Jiangsu section of the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway, the Zhejiang section of the Shanghai-Kunming Expressway, and the Anhui section of the Chuzhou-Xincai Expressway.

In the civil aviation sector, 19,994 flights are expected on the day to manage an estimated 2.46 million passenger trips.

The Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, is the world's largest annual human migration, as millions embark on journeys across the nation to reunite with loved ones and celebrate the arrival of the Chinese New Year on Feb 17 this year.

Nationwide transportation peak continues as Spring Festival travel rush enters Day 12

Nationwide transportation peak continues as Spring Festival travel rush enters Day 12

Some Japanese people said on Thursday that the government led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi must firmly uphold the pacifist constitution.

Their remarks came after French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Japan from Tuesday to Thursday.

Attending a joint press conference with Takaichi on Wednesday, Macron emphasized that France and Japan have agreed on the importance of on the importance of quickly de-escalating the conflict in the Middle East and upholding international law.

Many saw this as a response to a strongly worded post by U.S. President Donald Trump on social media, which criticized France for refusing to cooperate with the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Some locals in Tokyo expressed their opposition to Japan's involvement in any war, but said Japan could offer help when the conflict in the Middle East ends.

"I think that Prime Minister Takaichi could offer support, provided that we wouldn't get involved in an armed conflict, such as minesweeping operations at sea, as Japan has the best minesweeping technology in the world," said a resident in Tokyo.

"I'm not entirely sure what consequences will follow Trump's demands. There may be additional tariffs, among other things. Our constitution prohibits [Japan's] from getting involved in war, and Prime Minister Takaichi should uphold this principle," said another resident.

Tokyo residents urge PM Takaichi to uphold pacifist constitution