Japanese retailer Aeon plans to open three shopping malls in China next year despite ongoing anti-Japanese sentiment there following a territorial dispute over a group of islands in the East China Sea.
Slated for development in the eastern cities of Tianjin and Suzhou and the southern city of Guangzhou, the malls are expected to open in the second half of 2014.
Earlier this month a Jusco store operated by Aeon in Qingdao was damaged during anti-Japan protests. Aeon announced on 18 September it had closed 30 of its 35 stores in China.
Meanwhile, Seven & I temporarily closed 13 of its Yokado supermarkets and 198 7-11 convenience stores, as a result of the protests.
These were sparked when the Japanese government purchased the Senkaku Islands from a private owner. China also claims ownership of the chain it calls the Diaoyu Islands.
The Aeon group currently operates three shopping malls in China, as well as the Jusco supermarket chain. The firm hopes to increase the number of shopping malls it operates in China to 12 by the end of June 2015.
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