Protestors in about 85 Chinese cities denounced Japan, some mobs smashing the windows
of Japan-owned stores and restaurants.
They overturned Japanese-model cars;
manufacturers Honda and Mazda said they're shutting some of their factories in China
temporarily.
China's government said it would protect Japanese citizens, but
amid the violence many of them are lying low, some employers considering evacuating
families.
The US Defense Secretary called for calm: “It is in everybody’s interest
for Japan and China to maintain good relations, and to find a way to avoid further
escalation.” Secretary Leon Panetta was speaking in Tokyo.
China is outraged
at moves by Japan to purchase three of the Senkakus, tiny uninhabited islands China
considers ITS territory.
Police there arrested some of the rioters, but the
uprising may continue for some time: - Tuesday is an anniversary of Japan's 1931 invasion
of China and meanwhile - a flotilla of Chinese fishing boats is reported by state
media to be heading for the islands in an apparent challenge to Japan's coast guard.