"In Japan, we're not taking it as seriously as the media is making it out to be," says Michael Mies, a mergers and acquisitions partner for Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in Tokyo.
Mies remembers leaving his Japanese colleagues at home when firm partners visited Shanghai for a business trip during the protests of 2005, so he doesn't discount the protests taking in place in China now, but he says it's too early to tell what kind of impact this could have on Chinese-Japanese business relationships.
"If anyone is saying otherwise, I think they're being a bit quick on that," he says.
Mies has noticed no change in attitude among the firm's mergers and acquisitions clients since problems began in early September. And while the unrest adds one more potential risk for Japanese investors in China, along with transparency and regulatory issues, the market there still offers the growth that all companies crave.
"They all want to be there, and that's why I don't think this spat is going to be a long-term hit," he says.
