Yang, who works as a quality manager at the company and speaks fluent Japanese, said she had experienced no threats or safety issues, although business has been tough.

"It is very difficult for us right now financially in Japan," she said, adding that CWB has postponed plans to open a local branch.

On the exhibition floor, there was no sign of any retribution for the violent protests. Show goers seemed grateful for the extra space, sprawling on the extra benches and using empty booths for impromptu business meetings.

The biggest Chinese presence at Ceatec is Huawai. The company has a large space with an hourly runway show, featuring Japanese models that cradle its new Ascend smartphones and tablets. Huawei, which is also a world-leading maker of telecom equipment, has been entangled in political battles before, with Western governments accusing it of building networks that give access to Chinese spies.

Representatives at the company would say only that the company is at Ceatec for business, to celebrate the launch of its new phones in Japan. Company officials refused interviews about anything else, a tack taken by other Chinese exhibitors as well.