Japan PM vows to defend disputed islands from China/Japan coast guard says detains Chinese fishing boat near Okinawa

Japan’s Prime Minister Abe

TOKYO — Japan’s Prime Minister has vowed to defend disputed remote islands from escalating threat from China.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on Japan’s Self-Defense Forces on southern Japan on Saturday, saying the disputed islands in the East China Sea are under increasing threat.

Abe said he will defend them “at all costs.”
The uninhabited islands are controlled by Japan but also claimed by China. Japan’s nationalization of the islands in September triggered violent protests across China, hurting Japanese companies there and the economy.

China has sent surveillance ships regularly to waters near the islands, and aircraft from the two sides have trailed each other, raising the risk of missteps that could trigger a clash.
Japan has recently launched diplomatic efforts to ease tensions, with China-friendly officials visiting Beijing for talks. AP
.todayonline.com/world
2/2/13
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Related:

• Chinese fishing boat captain nabbed for illegal fishing in Japan EEZ/Japan coast guard says detains Chinese fishing boat near Okinawa

(Reuters) - Japan's coast guard detained a Chinese fishing boat near the southern Japanese island of Okinawa on Saturday and arrested the captain for collecting coral illegally, a coast guard official said. The vessel was detained off Miyako Island, some 150 km (95 miles) from islands in the East China Sea at the centre of a territorial dispute between the two countries, and about 400 km (250 miles) east of Taipei. A long-simmering row over the East China Sea islands, known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China, has in recent months escalated to the point where both sides have scrambled fighter jets while patrol ships shadow each other in nearby seas.

.......Συνέχεια του άρθρου/Read more about this (INTepiloges)

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• Chinese fishing boat detained in Japanese waters

The Chinese Consulate General in Fukuoka has confirmed that the Japanese coast guard has detained a Chinese fishing boat for alleged unauthorized coral fishing in Japanese waters.
The incident took place in waters 44 kilometers northeast of Japan’s Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture, according to the consulate. A total of 13 Chinese crew members are on board. The captain and two other sailors have been escorted to Miyako Island by Japan’s patrol vessels.
The remaining crew and the boat remain where they were detained. The Chinese consulate has urged the Japanese side to ensure the safety of the crew and will visit the captain when he arrives in Miyako.

http://english.cntv.cn

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Senkaku/Diaoyu issue