Japanese companies are absent from the fourth session of the China International Animation Copyright Fair in Dongguan, Guangdong province, one of the country's top events in the area.

Due to the tense Sino-Japanese relations, talks with Japanese firms were discontinued, Pan Xinchao, chief of the publicity department of the Dongguan Party committee, said on Thursday.

Japanese companies attended the past three sessions of the fair.

A total of 382 companies are attending the current eight-day event, which opened on Friday, 107 more than in the previous event .

Participants include 54 companies from other countries and regions, such as Walt Disney, BBC and New Zealand film prop and special effects company Weta Workshop.