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.