China - Japan territorial dispute: Chinese in anti-Japan protests

BEIJING — Protesters in China have begun another day of demonstrations against Japan, after protests over disputed islands spread across numerous cities and at times turned violent.

Hundreds of protesters across from the Japanese Consulate in Shanghai chanted and waved banners Sunday asserting that the islands in the East China Sea, which are controlled by Japan, are Chinese. About 50 military police officers carrying shields stood outside the consulate.

Tensions have boiled over since Japan's government purchased the islands from their private owners last week.

A territorial dispute between China and Japan worsened as Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said he’ll demand the Chinese government ensure the safety of Japanese citizens, thousands protested in Chinese cities and Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) and Panasonic Corp. (6752) reported damage to their operations.

Demonstrators took to the streets in a dozen cities across China including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, calling for Chinese sovereignty over disputed islands and the boycott of Japanese goods. In the city of Shenzhen, police used tear gas and water cannons to stop protesters from reaching a Japanese department store, Radio Television Hong Kong reported.

Hundreds of protesters in Beijing threw plastic bottles and eggs at the Japanese embassy a day earlier as riot police stood guard at the gates. In Guangzhou, more than 10,000 people marched in protest, the official Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday. Demonstrations also occurred in the cities of Harbin, Nanjing, Hohhot, Changchun and Wuhan, and overseas in Houston and Chicago, Xinhua reported.

Japan’s Kyodo News said Sept. 15 that more than 40,000 people joined the demonstrations in 20 Chinese cities.

The Japanese government and coast guard said six Chinese surveillance ships entered Japanese waters on Friday near disputed islands in the East China Sea, adding to tensions between the Asian giants.

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, claimed by both countries and called Senkaku by Japan and Diaoyu by China, are surrounding by rich fishing grounds and are near key shipping lanes.

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, said Yasuhiko Oku, an official with the Japanese coast guard in Tokyo.

One of the Chinese patrol vessel responded to the coast guard's warnings by demanding the Japanese ships get out of the waters immediately.

"Diaoyu is China's territory. This ship is carrying out lawful operations. We urge you to leave the waters immediately," Japan's coast guard quoted a
Chinese vessel as saying in radio communications.

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.