China consumer show targets camera maker Nikon in annual ritual

By Adam Jourdan SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Japan's Nikon Corp has moved to allay consumer fears in China after being criticized on a closely watched consumer show that said the camera maker had sold defective products in China and denied local consumers fair treatment in aftersales service. The firm, which had sales of 118 billion yen ($1.16 billion) in China in 2013, said on Sunday it was taking the report "very seriously" and had moved to improve its after-sales network in China, according to its official microblog sites. Criticism in Chinese state media can have a long-lasting impact, particularly in cases of corruption and food safety scandals, which have hit some firms over the last year, including French foodmaker Danone SA to British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc. An annual investigative special on China Central Television (CCTV) called "3.15", similar to the CBS network's "60 Minutes" in the United States, said late on Saturday that some of Nikon's D600 cameras had black specks on the lens, and accused the firm of refusing requests to replace the defective products.