About 40 activists staged a protest in Hong Kong against the Japanese government on Sunday, the first anniversary of large-scale demonstrations in China.

A year ago, people opposing Japan's nationalization of the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture staged protests across China, attacking and severely damaging Japanese companies. A protest against the Japanese government was also held in Hong Kong on that day.

About 40 members of a group of activists who landed on the Senkaku Islands last year gathered on Sunday. They marched through central Hong Kong for 2 hours shouting, "Japan should get out of the islands".

They read out a statement criticizing the Japanese government outside the Japanese consulate general.

The group holds the annual protest ahead of the anniversary of a Japanese army plot on September 18 1931 that started the Manchurian Incident in northeastern China.

Police say about 800 people took part last year, but there were significantly fewer participants this year.

The activists say they will try to land on the Senkaku Islands again, and they intend to set sail as soon as they obtain approval from the authorities.

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This news was published on September 15, 2013.

Source: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20130915_22.html