Geopolitics cut into Japanese brands on mainland market

When a dispute over the East China Sea flared up between China and Japan two years ago, graduate student Wei Hanyu ditched her Shiseido Co Ltd beauty products in protest, joining scores of Chinese consumers in a boycott of Japanese brands.

Wei, now 23, said she currently uses a face cream from Aupres, a brand she thought was Chinese or Korean, but which she recently found out is Japanese. Aupres is one of Shiseido's China-specific brands, and the packages carry the parent company's name only in small print.

"Its advertisements left the impression that it's a brand designed for young people in cities, similar to some Korean brands," said Wei.