Japan store chain sees S$7.9m damage in China riots
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TOKYO (AFP) - A Japanese department store chain said Thursday it suffered S$7.9 million worth of damage at three shops in China when violent protests erupted this month over a disputed island chain.
Heiwado president Hirakazu Natsuhara told reporters that mobs had wrecked the buildings in southwest Hunan province and stolen stock, putting the total cost of the losses at 500 million yen, according to broadcaster NHK.
The estimate could more than double to 1.3 billion yen (S$7.9 million), if the three stores were to remain closed until Dec 1, he added, according to NHK.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied across China this month to vent their anger over Japan's nationalisation of islands in the East China Sea known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.
