An official at Honda, another Japanese automaker, who requested anonymity, said there had been a negative impact on the firm’s sales in China owing to the tensions.
During the meeting on Tuesday in New York, China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi accused Japan of committing a “gross violation” of China’s territorial integrity, according to China’s state Xinhua news agency.
Japan’s Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said the atmosphere was intense in the talks, which lasted for about one hour.
However, a Japanese official told AFP: “Although the atmosphere was a bit severe, the Chinese side laid out its own case and the ministers agreed to continue the dialogue.”
Automakers were hit by shutdowns during sometimes-violent protests that rocked a number of Chinese cities after Japan nationalised the East China Sea islands on September 11.
Japanese factories and businesses were shuttered amid fears they or their workers could be targeted by mobs.
The impact of the bitter row has already spilled over into other sectors, affecting trade between Asia’s two biggest economies.
Chinese and Japanese airlines said they would curb the number of flights linking Chinese and Japanese cities, while Japanese firms reported China was ramping up customs inspections for Japanese products at its ports.
