Japanese electronics giant Canon announced it was suspending operations at 3 of its 4 Chinese factories over the weekend in response to the violent riots that have gripped the PRC since the Japanese government’s announcement of a plan to nationalize the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands.
Panasonic has reported that it is the victim of sabotage at one of its plants in China. Tuesday marks the anniversary of Japan’s 1931 occupation of China so extra precautions are being undertaken ahead of the sensitive date.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda called on Chinese authorities to quell the riots and to protect Japanese national interests in China.
Reports have surfaced that the Chinese fleet dispatched to the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands is conducting live ammunition drills in an unprecedented show of power by the Chinese navy.
Bitter memories of Japan’s occupation of China during the 1930s and 1940s continue to taint relations to the present. Xiao Huiwu, deputy head of the China Marine Surveillance Agency, claims the mission to dispatch warships near the disputed islands was successful in demonstrating China’s territorial sovereignty. United States Defense Secretary Leon Panetta expressed concerns that if the current situation deteriorated further it could result in a war.