Boycotts of Japanese products have been conducted by numerous Chinese civilian and governmental organisations, always in response to real or perceived Japanese aggression, whether military, political or economic.

Early boycotts

The first boycott of Japanese products in China was started 1915 as a result of public indignation at the Twenty-One Demands which Japan threatened China to accept. In 1919, the students and intellectuals involved in the May Fourth Movement called for another boycott of Japanese products, to which the public responded enthusiastically. Local chambers of commerce decided to severe economic ties with Japan, workers refused to work in Japanese-funded factories, consumers refused to buy Japanese goods, and students mobilised to punish those found selling, buying or using Japanese products. The Twenty-One Demands were a set of demands which the Japanese government of Okuma Shigenobu sent to the Chinese government on January 18th, 1915, which China gave into and signed two treaties with Japan on May 25th. ... An intellectual is a person who uses his or her intellect to study, reflect, and speculate on a variety of different ideas. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... A vigilante is someone who takes enforcement of law or moral code into his or her own hands. ...

The Jinan Incident of 1928 prompted a new boycott, this time the KMT government mobilised the population to cease economic dealings with Japan. From then on, anti-Japanese protests in China would always be accompanied with boycotts of Japanese products. The Jinan Incident (Japanese:済南事件) or May 3rd Incident (Traditional Chinese: 五三慘案 , Simplified Chinese: 五三惨案), or Tsinan Incident, was an armed conflict between the Japanese Army allied with Northern Chinese warlords against the Kuomintangs southern army in Jinan, the capital of Shandong in 1928 during the Kuomintangs Northern Expedition. ... KMT is the Nationalist Party of China. ...

Modern boycotts

After World War II, the Chinese community, upset over various issues such as the sovereignty of Diaoyutai Islands, the Japanese history textbook controversies and Japanese leaders' visits to Yasukuni Shrine, would launch boycotts of Japanese products. Republic of China citizens started a boycott in September 1972 to protest Japan's diplomatic recognition of the People's Republic of China, and twice burned Japanese products in front of the Taipei City Hall, ironically of Japanese construction. This article is becoming very long. ... The Senkaku Islands (Japanese: 尖閣諸島; Senkaku_Shotō) are islands are currently under Japanese control but claimed by the Peoples Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan), by which they are known as Diaoyutai Islands or Diaoyu Islands—both literally mean Fishing Islands. ... The Japanese textbook controversies is a series of controversies over the government-approved history textbooks used in the secondary education of Japan (junior high school and high school). ... Students at Yasukuni The main building of Yasukuni Shrine Yasukuni Shrine ) (literally peaceful nation shrine) is a controversial Shinto shrine located in Tokyo, Japan dedicated to the spirits of soldiers who died fighting on behalf of the Japanese emperor. ... The Republic of China governs Taiwan and some surrounding islands, and should not be confused with the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), which governs mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau. ...

In 2005 a new wave of boycotts were started in mainland China, concurrent with the anti-Japanese demonstrations in major Chinese cities at the time. However, this boycott was at best a fringe attempt, and was denounced by the mainstream population, citing that China was integrated into the world economy and a boycott of one of China's biggest trading partners would cause as much harm to China as it would to Japan. Most people were more concerned over their standards of living than redressing old grievances. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Relations gave a similar view: That "Sino-Japanese economic cooperation developed significantly over the past decade and brought real benefits to both the people of nations. We do not wish for economic issues to be politicised." As with the anti-Japanese demonstrations, these activists began organising boycotts using the internet and cellphones. One such website, for example, gives a list of Japanese aggressions against China in the past, current incidents straining Sino-Japanese relations, as well as a breakdown of how much money consumers supposedly give to the Japanese government and military for every 100 yuan they spend on Japanese products ("10 bullets for the so-called Self-Defense Forces"; "6 to 8 pages of anti-Chinese textbooks and documents", etc.). The introduction to this article is too long. ... This article needs to be updated. ... The foreign relations of the Peoples Republic of China draws upon traditions extending back to China in the Qing dynasty and the Opium Wars, despite China having undergone some radicial upheavals over the past two centuries. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Foreign relations between Japan and China. ...

See also

• Anti-Japanese sentiments