HONG KONG (Kyodo) Japanese companies will be barred from participating in an IT exhibition next month in Shenzhen due to Japan's recent history textbook revisions and Tokyo's bid to win a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, the organizer said Thursday.
A manager of China IT Expo 2005 said, "Because of the recent moves in Japan, we will decline Japanese companies from participating in our exhibition." But he said Chinese branches of Japanese firms can set up booths in the annual trade show.
"For example, Sony's China office can display its goods because those are Chinese companies," he said.
An expo Web site message reads, "The recent bid by Japan for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council and its decision to revise history to whitewash its invasion of China have sparked outrage among Chinese communities around the world."