6 Chinese boats near disputed islands
The Chinese surveillance ship Haijian No. 51, front, sails ahead of a Japan Coast Guard vessel in waters near disputed islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, in the East China Sea on Friday morning, Sept. 14, 2012. / AP Photo/Kyodo News
(AP) TOKYO - The Japanese government and coast guard said six Chinese surveillance ships entered Japanese waters Friday near disputed islands in the East China Sea, adding to tensions between the Asian giants.
After Japanese coast guard ships telegraphed warnings to the Chinese vessels, two or three moved beyond territorial waters but the others remained within the 12 nautical mile zone around the uninhabited islands that are controlled by Japan but claimed by both nations, said Yasuhiko Oku, an official with the Japanese coast guard in Tokyo.
It was the first intrusion by Chinese vessels into what Japan says are its waters since Tokyo bought the islands from their private Japanese owners this week. The islands, called Senkaku by Japan and Diaoyu by China, are surrounding by rich fishing grounds and are near key shipping lanes.
China sends patrol boats to disputed islands
Anti-Japanese protests have since been held in various Chinese cities, and some Chinese have called for a boycott of Japanese goods.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed that six surveillance ships had entered waters near the islands, which are also claimed by Taiwan, and began "patrol and law enforcement" there.
"These law enforcement and patrol activities are aimed to demonstrate China's jurisdiction over the Diaoyu Islands and its affiliated islets and ensure the country's maritime interests," the statement said.
Earlier this week, the official Xinhua News Agency said that China sent two ships to the islands after Japan announced the purchase.
Tensions between the two nations have flared since Tokyo's nationalistic governor, Shintaro Ishihara, in April proposed buying and developing the islands so that they wouldn't fall into Chinese hands. Activists from both sides landed on the islands in August.
To block Ishihara's plan, which would likely infuriate China, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's government was left with little choice but to buy the islands. The government doesn't plan to develop them, but the move still angered China, which warned of "serious consequences."
On Thursday, two Taiwanese coast guard patrol ships sailed to 25 nautical miles west of the disputed islands. The Taiwanese coast guard said the vessels demonstrated the coast guard's ability to protect local fishermen.
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http://www.mahoroba.ne.jp/~tatsumi/dinoue0.html
Change encoding to Japanese then use Google Translation to translate Japanese to English
about the time Israel bombs Iran Japan will start dukeing it out with china.
its about time the rest of the world started killing each other in useless wars while we can sit back and watch.
Diplomacy is much preferable to WW III. I don't think we get to sit back and watch. I think all of us, including the US, Japan, and China, get to cry about what just happened and what we lost. The Japanese government bought the islands. This is now a dispute between governments. Japan may (or may not) lose what is (or isn't) rightfully theirs, but the property owners are no longer entitled to start something or claim restitution. The Japanese government chose well.
The Middle East is a troubled place, and I don't understand it. My guess is that it is a giant that will be important, but hasn't quite made up its mind.