A closed factory of Japanese consumer electronics maker Sony in Beijing on Monday. The smartphone factory operated for 20 years. Sony shut down the factory in late March amid China's industrial upgrading and the sliding revenue of its mobile business. Photo: IC

Japanese company Sony apologized to Chinese netizens and decided to cancel a launch event after Chinese netizens were angered by its selecting of launch date which falls on July 7 , a date that marks the Japanese invasion of China.

Sony apologized and said on Thursday that it will cancel the online launch event scheduled for a domestic industrial trade fair on July 7.

"Due to the poor work arrangement, the choice of dates has led to misunderstanding and public confusion. We apologize for this and have canceled the relevant activities," Sony said in a statement through its official account on China's social media Sina Weibo. The post has been reposted over 7,000 times as of press time.

The apology came after the company released a notice on social media platforms a day earlier to promote the launch event at an industrial trade fair for its new camera.

The launch event of its new camera was originally set for 10 pm on Thursday with a slogan of"Capture More of Your World", according to a screen shot of a post on its Weibo account, which has been removed from social media platforms as of press time.

The choice of date triggered fury among Chinese netizens as July 7 marked the July 7th Incident, and the outbreak in 1937 of the War of Resistance by the Chinese People against Japanese Aggression.

Some netizens have questioned the motivation of Sony to launch new products at this special time, calling it unwise and inappropriate and lacking political sensitivity.

"Why would a Japanese brand choose the date of July 7? Do they want to humiliate Chinese people again?" commented a Chinese netizen on Sina Weibo. "Please leave China," said another Chinese netizen.

Others believe the selection of date may have been an innocent mistake.

"The selection of date overlaps with a camera trade show in Shanghai from July 7 to 10. It is normal for all major camera brands to release new products at the event," commented a Chinese netizen known as Ayan.

Other netizens also noted that July 7 happened to be the Tanabata Festival in Japan, which means it could be a mistake.

As of press time the English version is still available on Sony's Twitter account, which showed that the new product launch will be held at 10 am US time, 3 pm UK time and 11 pm Japan time on July 7.