Tokyo Vietnamese take to the streets against China

Braving the snow and the bitter cold weather, Vietnamese living in the Tokyo, Japan area took to the street in front of the Chinese embassy in Japan’s capital to protest China’s invasion and occupation of Vietnam’s Paracel and Spratly islands on Sunday 20 January 2008, one day after the anniversary of China’s invasion of the Paracels in 1974.

The crowd of both young and old Vietnamese chanted anti-China slogans not only in Japanese and Chinese, but also Vietnamese in order to, as expressed by the old protesters, “satisfy the anger” about China’s blatant aggression in taking over Vietnam’s land.

With Vietnamese around the world staging protest, it seems that the only place where China might not hear or see anti-China demonstrations is on its own doorstep.