The company shut three plants – in Jiangsu and Guandong provinces – on Monday and Tuesday (17th and 18th September) after a geopolitical dispute over a chain of islands prompted protests in China.

Canon Zhongshan Business Machines, based in Guandong, southern China, produces laser printers, while Canon (Suzhou) in Jiangsu, on China’s east coast, makes colour and monochrome multi-functional printers. Canon Zhuhai, also in Guandong, manufactures laser printers and digital cameras.

Canon said none of its factories in China had been damaged and no employees were injured.

Tensions over the archipelago, known as the Senkaku islands in Japan and the Diaoyu islands in China, intensified last week after the Japanese government agreed a deal to buy them from private owners.

According to a Reuters poll, more than 40% of Japanese firms think the row will affect their business plans, and some are considering pulling out of China and shifting operations elsewhere.

Operations at the Chinese plants of Panasonic and Toyota were also affected by the demonstrations.