During past flare-ups in diplomatic tensions between China and Japan, Chinese consumers spontaneously boycotted Japanese goods.
But the latest row, sparked by controversial remarks on Taiwan by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, has met with a markedly different response, with almost no one in China calling for a boycott of Japanese products.
Part of the reason for the turnaround is a seismic shift in China’s consumer market, with the Japanese home appliances, digital gadgets and cars once seen as must-have items having largely lost their lustre to the benefit of domestic brands.
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For many Chinese people, there are simply not that many Japanese products left that feel worth boycotting.
Competition from local rivals has increasingly become a formidable challenge for all international brands in China, including Japanese ones. The era when Chinese consumers fervently chased foreign luxury and premium names is over, analysts and industry insiders said.
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Today, proudly wearing Chinese fashion, using locally branded appliances and driving domestically made cars has become the prevailing trend.