2012-09-18 17:55:35

Protests continue in Japan/China islands dispute


(Vatican Radio) Anti-Japan street protests continue, while across China hundreds of Japanese restaurants and factories remained closed amid fears of more mob violence which has already seen Japanese supermarkets smashed up and car showrooms set on fire.

Protestors are denouncing Japan for its control of the tiny, uninhabited Senkaku islands, but today was also the anniversary of Japan's 1931 invasion of China.

Chinese state media urged no more violence, and the United States defence secretary, visiting Beijing, called for restraint. But Washington has said it will not take sides in the dispute.

The Senkaku islands are held by Japan but claimed by China, which calls them Diaoyu.

China's defence minister said Beijing wants a peaceful outcome, and is ready to work with the Japanese government in resolving the islands' status.

For now, Japanese businesses in China are the ones counting an immediate cost, but China and Japan are the world's second- and third-largest economies, and if this standoff continues there's the risk of an economic impact elsewhere.

And here in the region there's also the chance of the use of force.

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