The agreement included what other Japanese companies now condemn as a too-generous transfer of technology from Kawasaki to the Qingdao Sifang unit.

The carrier owned by Qingdao Ocean Shipping Company was hijacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean on October 19.

Among the day's gainers, Tsingtao Brewery advanced 12% to HK$20.20 after the company reported 54% growth in first-quarter earnings to CNY199.4 million on higher sales volume.