Korean residents in Shanghai are being urged to take caution as demonstrations flare in the Chinese city over Japan’s nationalization of a group of islands in the East China Sea.

The South Korean Consulate General on Tuesday told Koreans to refrain from going to restaurants where there are many Japanese and to avoid actions or speech that could cause them to be mistaken for Japanese.

An official at the consulate general said there haven't been reports yet of any injuries to Korean residents or damage to Korean firms from China's rallies over the disputed territory.

The islands, known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese, are also claimed by China.