Guangzhou's Tianhe district procuratorate has approved the arrest of five people who were allegedly involved in illegal beatings, vandalism and looting during a September protest march against Japan's "purchase" of China's Diaoyu Islands.

The suspects, surnamed Song, Qiu, Deng, Ma and Chen, joined the demonstration on the city's busy Tianhe Road on Sept 16, sources with the district procuratorate said on Tuesday.

When the protest march arrived in the western part of Fengxing Plaza at about 4 pm, the suspects surrounded a parked Japanese-brand car and threw stones at it, the procuratorate said.