Anti Japan protests in your town? 钓鱼岛

[xiaoxiaocao]

Heard a commotion today and looked outside to see a few hundred people marching down the main road. Most of the protesters looked to be quite young, probably university students. Lots of flags and banners.

Seem to be happening country wide, anyone see protests in their cities?

Wouldn't want to live next door to a Japanese restaurant or business right now.

http://zy.takungpao....916/149259.html

[liuzhou]

Yes. This is Liuzhou this morning.

They aren't necessarily attacking "Japanese restaurants", very few of which are Japanese owned anyway.

There was similar nonsense in Guilin this morning.

All very convenient for the government, who are sanctioning and encouraging it - it diverts attention from their own issues.

[tokyo_girl]

I am quite taken aback by the Chinese govt. response and overall attitude.

The China Daily is using very inflammatory langauge, basically inciting violence.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-09/16/content_15760657.htm

I have a lot of affection for China, but I am appalled by the Chinese govt.

(and by the Tokyo governor.)

[liuzhou]

@tokyo_girl

You are not the only one to be taken aback,. Most of my Chinese friends are very unhappy. The grown up ones. (Which excludes 98% of the government.)

[joshuawbb]

A march took place here in Xiamen today too, around Huandao Road. There have also been banners strewn across cars or hung up in Japanese chain restaurants (Ajisen Ramen, etc), organisations buying advertisement space in bus stops or road corners and filling them with slogans, hairdressers writing slogans in their LED signs, etc. Even had a guy leaning out his car window chanting "打倒日本帝国主义！". Hilarious. I started seeing them about two days ago, but I saw all of the above today in just a few hours.

By themselves they are isolated things, but since Xiamen is so small, seeing them all around the city has kicked up somewhat of an uncomfortable atmosphere. We've all seen protests before and there's nothing overly outrageous about slogans like "钓鱼岛是中国的！", but angrier rhetoric such as "打倒小日本" has been seen a lot around Xiamen and one or two of my Japanese classmates confess that such slogans make them walk with a more cautious step and feel considerably less welcome, especially when they are plastered over the taxi you were about to take, not to mention after attacks on a few Japanese in Shanghai. Isolated incidents they may be, but the media has its way of keeping them in the spotlight and kicking up a fever.

This all takes me aback too, and I'm sorely disappointed to see how immature the protests are becoming. I feel sorry for the Japanese here in China who have to put up with the nonsense, especially my classmates.

On the other hand, popular Xiamen forums have been filled with topics by people fed up with the nationalistic fever, calling an end to the open protests, and putting down the people who take to the street or resort to intimidation and silliness. Here's a selection - some anti-Japan, some more reasonable:

A banner unfurled at an Ajisen Ramen outlet: http://bbs.xmfish.co...id-7454684.html

Discouraging unruly protest: http://bbs.xmfish.co...id-7455008.html

Rallying for today's protest, but discouraging violence: http://bbs.xmfish.co...id-7453999.html

Japanese BBS posts mocking the behaviour, translated for Chinese to see: http://bbs.xmfish.co...id-7454929.html

"The Diaoyu island ownership has nothing to do with the common people, the motherland doesn't love me, why should I love the motherland?" http://bbs.xmfish.co...id-7453877.html

(Apologies for the rough translation above, in a bit of a hurry.)

[liuzhou]

Ajisen isn't even Japanese! They sold it to China years ago.

[joshuawbb]

It still seems a Japanese company as far as I can see though, the Hong Kong CEO owns the China outlets but they are still operated under license of Ajisen Ramen. Well, you have Ajisen Ramen and then Ajisen Ramen (China) Ltd.

[tokyo_girl]

Does the Chinese govt. rhetoric in Chinese match the language of the China daily article?

It's a textbook example of inflammatory propaganda issued by governments.

I assumed the same is being said in Chinese, but perhaps it's to persuade foreigners about the legitimacy of Chinese claims to the islands. From my understanding, and I haven't researched it deeply, they are a historical no mans land but reverted to Japanese control after the Americans handed back Okinawa to Japan in the 1970s.

[chaiknees]

Here in Shenzhen there also were protests this afternoon as on the Sundays before. Several subway stations were closed and it was impossible to enter some big roads by car. There also was an SMS this afternoon sent by the 公安局 to warn people not to attend in 打砸行为.

As already stated, it is a beneficial situation for the government, maybe even contrived by them. A dishonest game to push patriotism and make the people forget the "real" problems. The party congress is approaching... Just a guess, but probably the vast minority of the protest participants has sufficient knowledge of that island and its' history to judge where it belongs to. It is just a blunt Japan-bashing to let off steam. Better than using some local officials for that

[tokyo_girl]

Just a guess, but probably the vast minority of the protest participants has sufficient knowledge of that island and its' history to judge where it belongs to

Just wanted to clarify - you think people are well informed?

My impression in Japan is that most people probably don't have much deep understanding of the historical ins and outs. (Myself, a non Japanese included.)

There has been little in the way of retaliatory protest here, fortunately. Nationalist buttons are always easier to press than making positive decisions for a country's future. By no means unique to China (or Japan).

[liuzhou]

It still seems a Japanese company as far as I can see though, the Hong Kong CEO owns the China outlets but they are still operated under license of Ajisen Ramen.

It's a franchise operation. The Chinese branches are Chinese owned.

And even if they weren't it's irrelevant. Attacking a restaurant for it's supposed origin is just outright racism. Kristallnacht.

And the Chinese government are encouraging this shit.

[liuzhou]

Just wanted to clarify - you think people are well informed?

No. I was saying the opposite.

[chaiknees]

@tokyo-girl: "Just wanted to clarify - you think people are well informed?"

No, on the contrary. I am not sure how many of the participants have even heard of that island until a few months before, let alone know the background of the "ownership".

[tokyo_girl]

Aah, I see. That makes sense.

Does the reporting in the Chinese media match the inflammatory language of the China Daily?

[joshuawbb]

It's a franchise operation. The Chinese branches are Chinese owned.

And even if they weren't it's irrelevant. Attacking a restaurant for it's supposed origin is just outright racism. Kristallnacht.

And the Chinese government are encouraging this shit.

Okay, I understand.

It is racism, and it's been happening a lot with various places. It's just as some of the Japanese posters were saying in the post I linked to - in the end they're hurting their own country's industries.

[tokyo_girl]

Nationalist protests attacking Japanese in China will push Japan further to the right.

It is the perfect fuel for Hashimoto (Osaka mayor) and Ishihara (Tokyo governor) to

light up their nationalist, right wing party. The potential repercussions here (Japan)

are quite worrying,

[imron]

I am not sure how many of the participants have even heard of that island until a few months before

Almost certainly every single one will have heard of them. This is not a new issue that has sprung to light, but something that has been a point of contention for ages - it's only be due to a number of recent incidents that have caused things to boil over.

As for how many know the ins and out of the history, probably not that many, however they will certainly know the Chinese interpretation of that history (was, is and always will be an inseparable part of China, blah blah blah).

[tokyo_girl]

Almost certainly every single one will have heard of them.

Agree - it's been simmering for years.

I'm very curious about whether the Chinese language and English language media in China match in their inflammatory language.

[gato]

Japanese nationalists deserve a lot of blame, too, of course. Countries use to resolve these territorial disputes by war. These protests might be mild in comparison.

[skylee]

Thank you gato.