Anti-Japan protests reignite in China
six rows deep. Japan's foreign ministry said some embassy windows had been smashed.
Rowdy protests, fuelled by Chinese nationalism, sprang up in other major cities including Shanghai, raising the risk they could get out of hand and backfire on Beijing, which has implied tacit approval to them through state media. One Hong Kong newspaper said some protesters in southern Shenzhen had been detained for calling for democracy and human rights.
JAPANESE FIRMS HUNKER DOWN
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, visiting China to promote stronger Sino-U.S. military ties, again called for calm and restraint. Washington has said it will not take sides, dispute, although it is a strong ally of Japan.
Well-known Japanese firms have been targeted by protesters, with car makers Toyota Motor Corp and Honda Motor Co halting some operations after attacks on their outlets.
Other Japanese companies -- from Mazda and Mitsubishi Motors to Panasonic and Fast Retailing -- also shuttered plants and stores in China, sending Japanese share prices falling and prompting a warning from credit rating agency Fitch that the situation could hurt some auto and tech firms' creditworthiness.
Hitachi Construction Machinery recalled 25 Japanese workers back to Japan because of the unrest.
Mutsuko Takebayashi, a Japanese expatriate housewife living in Shanghai, said she planned to fly home with her family.
It's possible that Japanese companies will start evacuating families back home and if that happens it'll be too late to book tickets. That's why I'm going back today, she said.
Japanese restaurants, a common target of protesters, barred their doors while many Japanese
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