AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE in Beijing

The central government has shut down several anti-Japanese websites to prevent people from organising more protests through the internet, in a further indication it fears the demonstrations will get out of hand.

The websites had carried messages calling for large-scale demonstrations on May 1 and May 4 in cities including Shanghai, Nanjing , Wenzhou and Chongqing . May 1 is celebrated as Labour Day on the mainland, while May 4 is the anniversary of the landmark 1919 May Fourth Movement - in which students led protests against the country's weakness in standing up to foreign countries, especially Japan.

Announcements about the protests came before a warning by the Ministry of Public Security on Thursday banning all demonstrations organised through the internet or mobile phones. It was Beijing's strongest expression of opposition against anti-Japanese rallies.

The Japanese consulate in Shanghai, meanwhile, posted a warning on its website to Japanese expatriates about the possible protests.