Last month's nationalist protests in China over Japanese control of the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands were bad news for Japanese automakers. Toyota, Honda and Nissan all reported a sharp drop in sales in September compared to the previous year. Automakers have cut output in response. The slump in sales is not surprising when you consider the drumbeat of nationalist media messages in China against Japanese products and companies. Japanese restaurants have resorted to hanging out Chinese flags to deflect criticism. Then there's the violence unleashed last month against Japanese cars and their owners, including a man in Xian who was beaten into a coma, just for the crime of driving a Toyota Corolla near a street protest. The victim's family filed suit this week against Xian police, who failed to intervene in the horrific incident, which was captured on film and posted online.
Reported by Forbes.com 2 hours ago.
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