Anti-Japan protests erupt in dozens of Chinese cities in disputed islands row

A nearby street, where several Japanese restaurants are located, was closed
off by the police, while some of the restaurants hung Chinese flags to
protect themselves from the nationalistic mob.

Similar protests took place in dozens of other Chinese cities, where crowds
marched in the streets, smashed Japanese restaurants and shops, and even
overturned a Chinese police car because it was a Honda.

Two police cars were set on fire in Xi’an because they were also Japanese
marques, and security was set up around the city’s main tourist hotels. In
Changsha, protesters broke into a Rolex store, sensing an opportunity for
looting.

Several Japanese nationals in China have been assaulted, although there have
not been any serious injuries reported.

Meanwhile, several Chinese, worried about being branded as “traitors”
for driving Japanese cars or buying Japanese products, have taken
pre-emptive action.

In the central city of Chengdu, the owner of a Toyota taped a Chinese flag
over the car’s badge, and stuck stickers on his bumpers reading: “I
Bought the Car First, Before Japan Got Bitchy. From Now On, Boycott Japanese
Goods”. A photograph of the car quickly went viral over the Chinese
internet.

Meanwhile, one of Japan’s most successful exports to China, the former adult
movie star Sora Aoi, tried to calm the tensions by posting a message of
friendship.

“I hope all of us regular people can have good relations. I am a regular
person like all of you. Wounded!” she wrote on her verified account on
Sina Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, attaching an image of
hand-painted Chinese characters that read “Japanese-Chinese friendship”.

The long-standing dispute over the islands has escalated dramatically in
recent months, as politicians in both countries stir up nationalist
sentiment.

Last Friday, China sent six maritime patrol ships to the islands, some of
which briefly refused to turn back when confronted by the Japanese coast
guard.

Japan’s Kyodo news agency said that the demonstrations were the biggest in
China since the two countries normalised diplomatic relations in 1972.

Meanwhile the Global Times newspaper said China should not back down
over the islands. “China should be confident about strategically
overwhelming Japan,” it wrote, saying the Chinese military should “increase
their preparation and intensify their deterrence” against Japan. “China
will not shy away if Japan chooses to resort to its military,” it
added.

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