MELBOURNE, Australia — Protests against widening income disparity are planned across the Asia-Pacific region today as demonstrators organizing via social media from Tokyo to Sydney join London in the Occupy Wall Street movement.

The rallies that began Sept. 17 in New York, where more than 700 were arrested, have migrated across the United States to cities including Denver, Boston and San Francisco. The largest gatherings today are planned in London and Australia, according to organizers, who are hoping to harness networking sites such as Facebook to attract thousands.

“Many people are very inspired by what’s happening around the world, and I know there are 1,300 people on Facebook saying they’re coming,” Josh Lees, a spokesman for planned demonstrations in Sydney, said Friday by telephone.

The Occupy Wall Street rallies started last month in New York’s financial district, where people have been staying in Zuccotti Park to protest inequality and demand higher taxes for the wealthy. A confrontation between demonstrators and New York police was avoided Friday when Brookfield Office Properties Inc., which owns the park, postponed a scheduled cleaning.

About 4,000 people have signaled their intent to attend a peaceful demonstration at noon today outside the London Stock Exchange, according to organizer Kai Wargalla.

In Sydney, participants intend to gather at Martin Place in the central business district at 2:30 p.m. local time and camp indefinitely “to organize, discuss and build a movement for a different world, not run by the super-rich 1%,” a statement on the Occupy Sydney website said.

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In Melbourne, people will gather as early as 10 a.m. at the City Square, said Nick Carson, a spokesman for Occupy Melbourne.

“We face similar problems with our democracy here in Victoria and Australia as people face in most other developed nations,” according to the Occupy Melbourne website. “Our democracy is unwell.”

The Occupy Brisbane movement will start downtown at 9 a.m. at Post Office Square, according to a Facebook page for the event that didn’t provide contact information. Pages have also been set up for events in the New Zealand cities of Auckland and Christchurch.

In Taiwan, more than 1,500 people have confirmed on the Occupy Taipei Facebook page they wish to gather at 10 a.m. today near the Taiwan Stock Exchange in the downtown central business district.

At least three protests and rallies will take place in Tokyo, D.J. Lortie, an English teacher and an organizer of a protest in Hibiya Park in central Tokyo, said in an interview by telephone Friday.

Lortie said the protests could range from 20 to 200 people, starting at noon today. The group will march for an hour to the headquarters of Tokyo Electric Power Co. and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to show dissatisfaction over handling of the nuclear disaster triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, Lortie said.

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Another rally in Roppongi, near the headquarters of Goldman Sachs, may attract as many as 400 people, Shoko Uchida, an organizer, said by telephone.

“We want to say no to the economic system that only seeks profit,” Uchida said. “Young people are really concerned with their future.”

More than 30 civic groups plan to demonstrate today in Seoul, according to a leaflet distributed by an organization calling itself “Preparation Group to Act for 99%.” The rally is planned for 6 p.m. in front of Seoul’s city hall, organizer Choi Young Jun said by telephone Friday.

Police have denied the group permission to protest, Choi said.

In Hong Kong, gatherings are planned this afternoon at Exchange Square Podium in the city’s central shopping and business district, according to Facebook postings.


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