Japanese Cement Comeback in China as Toyota Posts Record Sales

Japanese automakers sold a record number of cars in China in the first six months of the year, cementing a comeback from anti-Japanese protests in 2012.

Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co., Japan’s three biggest carmakers, have boosted sales in China this year despite slowing demand that dragged down deliveries at Volkswagen AG and General Motors Co. Japanese car brands reached a combined market share of 20 percent as of May, matching levels seen before 2012, when political tensions escalated over a territorial dispute, according to researcher LMC Automotive.