A number of anti-Japan protests were also staged across Hong Kong to mark the 79th anniversary of the Japanese invasion of Manchuria.
More than 200 people marched from Victoria Park to the Japanese consulate and the central government's liaison office in Central.
Chanting slogans and holding placards, demonstrators from across the political spectrum demanded the immediate release of a mainland trawler captain detained near the dispute Diaoyu Islands two weeks ago and a full apology from the Japanese government for wartime atrocities. They urged the central government to take a firm stand against Japan over the sovereignty of the Diaoyus.
David Ko Wah-bing, one of the organisers and a Diaoyu Islands activist, criticised the consulate for its warning to Japanese in the city to look out for their safety, saying the demonstration was reasonable and peaceful.
'It is not the first time Japan has tried to claim sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands. They have done so for decades. All Chinese should stand firm this time,' Ko said.
In a separate protest over the detention, half a dozen Federation of Trade Unions members their heads shaved in Chater Garden during an event to mark the 65th anniversary of the end of the Sino-Japanese war.