Anti-Japanese demonstrations have been sweeping across China since Sunday in response to Japanese activists unfurling Japanese flags on a disputed island in the South China Sea, four days after Chinese activists landed on the same island.

Undoubtedly the most high-profile of the protests was in Shenzen, where some Chinese protesters burned Japanese flags and even turned violent, vandalizing Japanese cars and breaking into a local Japanese restaurant.

What the angry Chinese mob didn’t realize was that, like most Japanese eateries outside of Japan, the restaurant they ravaged was owned and operated by Chinese.

According to Chinese news source Zaobao, the restaurant, called “Tokugawa,” is run by a Chinese manager and chef who have absolutely no connections with Japan.

The owner opened the restaurant five years ago after investing 5,000,000 yuan (US $786,250) of capital. He says he had just heard of the demonstration and was thinking of closing down the store when the mob broke in and destroyed over 100,000 yuan (US $15,725) worth of property.

“I also love my country, but there is a better way to express one’s patriotism. This is just rioting,” he spoke, though he claims he holds no grudge towards his fellow countrymen for their actions and intends to reopen the restaurant.

Anyone living outside of Japan is probably aware that many Japanese restaurants are actually owned by Chinese or Koreans, though they usually use Japanese names like “Fuji,” “Tokyo,” or “Samurai.”

Needless to say, the Japanese internet community has gotten a kick out of the incident, pointing out that the cars they toppled were also likely owned by Chinese.

So remember kids, the next time you form an angry patriotic mob, be sure to politely ask the owner his nationality before you ransack his restaurant.

Source: Yahoo! Japan, Zaobao (Chinese)

Photo: RocketNews24
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