Japan asks China to ensure safety of its citizens

Chinese protesters took to city streets for a second day on Sunday to denounce Japan in a row over disputed islands, prompting the Japanese prime minister to call on Beijing to ensure protection of his country’s people and property.

In the biggest flare-up, police fired tear gas and used water cannon to repel thousands of
protesters occupying a street in the southern city of Shenzhen, near Hong Kong.

The protests erupted in Beijing and many other cities on Saturday, when demonstrators besieged the Japanese embassy, hurling rocks, eggs and bottles, and testing cordons of police. Demonstrators have looted shops and attacked Japanese cars and restaurants in at least five Chinese cities. Protesters also broke into a dozen Japanese-run factories in the eastern city of Qingdao on Saturday.

“Regrettably, this is a problem concerning the safety of Japanese nationals and Japan-affiliated companies,” Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. “I would like to urge the Chinese government to protect their safety.”