Panasonic closes China plants after violent protests

Hong Kong (CNN) -- Panasonic halted operations at three factories in China after angry protesters ransacked Japanese businesses over the weekend amid rising tensions over disputed islands in the East China Sea.

Violence against Japanese companies was seen in Xi'an, Dongguan, Changsha and Guangzhou, according to local media reports. A Panasonic factory was set on fire and a Toyota dealership in Qingdao were damaged on Saturday, and a Jusco department store was ransacked. In Guangzhou, demonstrators broke into the Garden Hotel and attacked a Japanese restaurant on the second floor, according to the South China Morning Press.

Panasonic has suspended work three plants in China until Tuesday, after factories in Qingdao and Suzhou were damaged by protesters, company officials told CNN. Panasonic also halted operations at a factory in Guangdong province until Tuesday as some local employees staged a strike as protest against Japan's claim to the island chain, called Diaoyu by China and Senkaku by Japan.

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