Anti-Japan protests: Panasonic, Canon suspend operations at China plants
Chinese demonstrators stage an anti-Japanese protest over the disputed Diaoyu Islands, known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan, outside the Japanese Embassy on September 15, 2012 in Beijing, China.
The Japanese firms Panasonic and Canon have suspended operations at plants in China amid violent anti-Japanese protests triggered by a territorial dispute, Agence France Presse reported.
Panasonic said it was halting production at at least one plant in China, in Qingdao, which a spokesman said had been “sabotaged.”
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It was understood the plant would remain closed Monday and Tuesday, while operations at a further two Panasonic plants were also rumored to have been affected.
The London Telegraph reported that a Toyota dealership in Qingdao, a northeastern port city, had also been damaged, though operations there were continuing.
The camera- and printer-maker Canon told Dow Jones newswires it had suspended three of its four main plants to ensure the safety of its employees.
As reported earlier by GlobalPost, demonstrations erupted in several Chinese cities last week after Japan said it had struck a deal to buy the Senkaku Islands, in the East China Sea, a chain also claimed by China.
More from GlobalPost: Anti-Japan protests swell in China over disputed islands (PHOTO GALLERY)
After meeting with senior Japanese officials in Tokyo, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called for diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute, AFP reported.
Ahead of his Asia visit, Panetta appealed for restraint from both China and Japan, warning the unrest risked spilling over into a regional war.