JAPAN: Police briefly detain two Chinese protesters as thousands march against China in Tokyo

Record ID: 465174

  • Title: JAPAN: Police briefly detain two Chinese protesters as thousands march against China in Tokyo
  • Date: 17th October 2010
  • Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (AUGUST 16, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE MARCHING WITH JAPANESE FLAGS POLICE OFFICERS SURROUNDING MAN WHO CLAIMS TO BE CHINESE WHO BARGED IN ON THE MARCH POLICE OFFICER BLOCKING THE ROAD PREVENTING PROTESTERS FROM COMING PROTESTERS YELLING "GO HOME" MEDIA AND PEOPLE SURROUNDING THE CHINESE PROTESTER CHINESE PROTESTER SAYING IN ENGLISH "WE ARE AGAINST IMPERIALIST EXPANSIONISM. WE OPPOSE RACISM. WE OPPOSE JAPANESE IMPERIALISTIC EXPANSIONISM. WE ARE, WE EXPLICITLY STATE THE SENKAKU ISLANDS DO NOT BELONG TO JAPAN." JAPANESE PROTESTERS RAISING THEIR FLAGS POLICE OFFICER BLOCKING THE PROTESTERS PROTESTERS SHOUTING PLAINCLOTHES POLICE BLOCKING THE ROAD WHERE THE CHINESE PROTESTER WAS DETAINED MORE OF CHINESE PROTESTER WITH THE POLICE POLICE CAR RUSHING TO THE SCENE POLICE CAR STOPPED AT THE ALLEY WHERE THE CHINESE PROTESTER WAS DETAINED POLICE CAR LEAVING PROTESTERS WITH JAPANESE FLAG JAPANESE FLAGS PEOPLE LISTENING TO SPEECH PROTESTER GIVING A SPEECH PROTEST HANDOUTS (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) SHINGO NISHIMURA, LOCAL POLITICIAN SAYING: "The Chinese Communist Party is clearly an enemy for us free citizens. Therefore they cannot be allowed to expand or increase their power. Japan must stand firm not just for the Japanese but for the people of China as well." MORE OF PEOPLE SHOUTING (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) MASATO YOSHIDA, STUDENT, 23, SAYING: "Whether it is in terms of territory or just land, the Senkaku Islands belong to Japan. Therefore it belongs to every Japanese citizen, it belongs to me as well as everyone here. To put it simply, it is as if someone broke into my house and stole my valuables. I cannot hide the anger. MORE OF JAPANESE FLAGS (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) YUKO NONAKA, TAX OFFICE WORKER, 38, SAYING: "It's not that I hate China or I want China to disappear, I hold this flag simply for world peace and it is not to instigate war." MORE OF PROTESTERS
  • Embargoed: 1st November 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA4ON44H8XQ7MGDP8ONFCWD1SL0
  • Story Text: Police briefly detained two Chinese protesters on Saturday(October 16) as they tried to disrupt a protest march by thousands of Japanese demonstrating against what they said was Beijing's intrusion into disputed islands that both countries claim.
    This was the second major anti-China rally in Japan after the ties between Asia's top economies worsened last month when Japan detained a Chinese trawler captain whose boat collided with Japanese patrol ships near disputed islands which are called the Senkaku Islands in Japan and Diaoyu Islands in China.
    More than 2,000 protesters marched down a large avenue near the Chinese Embassy shouting "We will not allow China to invade the Senkaku islands, we will not allow China to invade Japan and other Asian countries".
    But police prevented them from passing through the street that leads to the embassy but two protesters who said they were Chinese residing in Japan, sat down in front of the Japanese protesters to block the march.
    "We are against imperialist expansion, we oppose racism, we oppose Japanese imperialist expansionism, we explicitly state the Senkaku Islands do not belong to Japan," shouted one of the Chinese protesters in English.
    Police said the two were released after questioning.
    The march set off from a park where organizers gave rallies criticizing China.
    "The Chinese Communist Party is clearly an enemy for us free citizens. Therefore they cannot be allowed to expand or increase their power. Japan must stand firm not just for the Japanese but for the people of China as well," said Shingo Nishimura, a local politician of the newly-formed Sunrise Party of Japan.
    "Whether it is in terms of territory or just land, the Senkaku Islands belong to Japan. Therefore it belongs to every Japanese citizen, it belongs to me as well as everyone here. To put it simply, it is as if someone broke into my house and stole my valuables. I cannot hide the anger," said Makoto Yoshida, 23.
    Many participants sought to distance themselves from right-wing activists who speak out strongly against China.
    "It's not that I hate China or I want China to disappear, I hold this flag simply for world peace and it is not to instigate war," said Yuko Nonaka, a tax office employee.
    Around 2,700 people took part in a similar rally on October 3rd which criticised China and blasted Prime Minister Naoto Kan's handling of the territorial dispute with China.
    Critics charged that Kan caved into pressure from Beijing to release the captain of the fishing trawler.
    Japan and China are trying to arrange a formal summit meeting between the two countries' leaders at end-October on the sidelines of a regional summit in Vietnam.
    Kan and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao both called for better ties at an informal meeting this month but they also stressed their claims to the uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.
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