Lawson Inc. will press ahead with its plan to sharply increase the number of its convenience stores in China despite the Senkaku territorial rift, according to President Takeshi Niinami.

"Although there were many (Chinese) people who obstructed our operations when anti-Japanese demonstrations swept across China (after Japan nationalized the Senkakus in September), the situation is a lot calmer now," Niinami told a news conference Wednesday.

Despite rampant anti-Japanese sentiment, Lawson outlets in China have not seen a drastic drop in customer numbers, he said.

Niinami said the company aims to expand its business in the world's second-largest economy by hiring Chinese employees and will stick with its plan to boost the number of outlets to around 10,000 by 2020.

As of Aug. 31, Lawson was operating 393 stores in China.