11 April 2005 Monday 01 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1426 Tokyo demands apology from Beijing TOKYO, April 10: Tokyo on Sunday lodged a formal protest with Beijing over a violent anti-Japanese protest in the Chinese capital, demanding an apology and compensation. Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura summoned China’s ambassador to Japan, Wang Yi, to the foreign ministry a day after the rowdy rally which drew up to 10,000 demonstrators. “We formally demanded China’s apology and compensation,” Machimura told reporters following some 30 minutes of talks with Wang. However, when asked whether the Chinese diplomat apologized, Machimura said: “No.” During the demonstration, the biggest in Beijing in six years, the Chinese protesters threw rocks, bottles and eggs at the Japanese embassy there. Japanese embassy spokesman Keiji Ide told AFP that 20 of the embassy building’s windows were broken and five windows were smashed at the ambassador’s residence in a different part of town. Machimura, who will likely visit China for talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing next Sunday, said he asked Beijing to ensure security for Japanese nationals and businesses in the country. “I asked (China) to strengthen its security to protect Japanese citizens, Japanese corporations and the embassy and to prevent such a thing from happening again,” the foreign minister said. Some 7,600 Japanese live in Beijing, according to the ministry. Wang told reporters after the talks that China “does not agree with extreme action.” A Japanese foreign ministry official who attended the meeting between Machimura and Wang quoted the ambassador as promising to protect Japanese interests. “The Chinese government warned people at the demonstration not to conduct violent behavior,” Wang was quoted as telling Machimura. “The Chinese government continues to protect Japanese corporations and diplomatic organizations in China in accordance with law,” Wang said, according to the diplomat.—AFP

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