A man attacked the car carrying the Japanese ambassador in Beijing on Monday, Aug 27, and ripped off the Japanese flag flying on the vehicle, Japan's Kyodo news agency said, amid escalating tensions that led to the biggest anti-Japan protests in years.
Kyodo, quoting Japanese embassy officials in Beijing, gave no further details of the attack, but said the ambassador, Uichiro Niwa, was unhurt. The report said the embassy had "filed a strong protest with the Chinese Foreign Ministry".
The attack comes after tensions over disputed islands known as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan flared in mid-August, when the Japanese coast guard detained Chinese activists who sailed from Hong Kong and landed on the island. Anti-Japanese demonstrations have taken place in Chinese cities over the past two weekends, according to Reuters.
