The Cabinet of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda revealed today that China’s rampant anti-Japan protesting in the month of September resulted in 10 billion yen (approx. $126 million) worth of vandalism, theft, and lost trade to Japanese companies. This was the first time Japan’s central government released a compiled total for the damage done to the country’s businesses operating in China.
The total was stated in response to a question about the activists’ protesting in China over Japan’s purchase of the disputed Senkaku / Diaoyu Islands. While not all demonstrations throughout the country turned violent, several in China’s larger cities did, targeting everything from the factories of Japanese companies, to Japanese restaurants, to Chinese citizens driving Japanese cars. One company, the Heiwado department stores, alone sustained 1.8 billion yen ($22.7 million) in damage and lost profits, and couldn’t reopen its stores for six weeks. A Jusco store, operated by Japan’s Aeon Co., was hit with damages totaling 700 million yen ($8.8 million).
In the Japanese government’s statement about the costs, they emphasized that the responsibility for financial compensation falls on China. It was added that the affected Japanese companies will need to seek relief through domestic Chinese laws, but Japan has requested that Beijing settle the claims as soon as possible.