Japan's car makers take hits in China from political row

Japanese auto makers reported sharp drops in Chinese sales for last month, threatening to stall their momentum in the world's largest car market and weigh on full-year forecasts, the Wall Street Journal reports.
All three of Japan's biggest auto makers, Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co., said Tuesday that volume plummeted in the wake of sometimes violent anti-Japanese protests. Tokyo's decision to nationalize contested islets in the East China Sea infuriated Beijing, prompting widespread demonstrations this summer and a boycott of brands made in, or by, Japan.