Thousands of Chinese protesters take to the streets and overturn Japanese cars as feud over disputed islands nears crisis point
- Demonstrations are the latest in dispute between China and Japan over islands in the East China Sea Islands are known as the Diaoyu in China and as the Senkaku in Japan
- Tokyo urges Chinese government to protect Japanese citizens
By ROB PREECE
Tensions between Japan and China escalated further today after thousands of Chinese protesters took to the streets and overturned Japanese cars.
The demonstrations were the latest in an ongoing feud between the two countries over a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea.
Chinese protesters denounced Japan's claims to the islands - which are known as the Diaoyu in China and as the Senkaku in Japan.
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Rising tensions: Protesters in Hangzhou, China, hold placards and banners at a demonstration against Japan's claim of the disputed islands
Tokyo responded by urging China to protect Japanese citizens.
The demonstrations came after 10 Japanese nationalists swam to the islands on Sunday in a tit-for-tat move following a similar landing by Chinese activists last week.
Both China’s government and Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda are under domestic pressure to take a tough stance over the islands.
But economic ties between the two countries are deeper than ever, and both are thought to be keen to prevent the feud spiralling out of control.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said that they were anxious to contain the situation.
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Feud: Demonstrators carrying Chinese national flags attend an anti-Japan protest in Shenzhen, southern China
'We would like to continue to deepen mutually beneficial relations between Japan and China, keeping a broader perspective in mind,' he said.
'Regarding the protests in China, we are asking, above all, to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals (in China).'
The anti-Japanese protests in part reflect bitter Chinese memories of Japan’s occupation of large parts of China in the 1930s and 1940s.
Chinese mainstream media were critical of Japan, but some also suggested that violent protest was not the way to proceed.
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Protests: Pro-China activists in Hong Kong have also taken part in demonstrations, waving Chinese flags and chanting slogans such as 'Down with Japanese militarism'
'Japan has made a series of mistakes in the Diaoyu Island issue, and has hurt the Chinese people’s feelings,' said the China Youth Daily.
'The young people’s patriotism is laudable ... but for a selected number of those who are smashing their fellows’ vehicles, damaging public property-that shows foolishness.
'This severely disrupts social order, injures the cities’ image, and furthermore, affected China’s image.'
Japan, eager to keep the feud from escalating, deported the Chinese activists within days but the fate of the Japanese protesters remains undecided.
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Land grab: The protests in China came after Japanese activists swam to the islands and raised their national flag on the disputed territory
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Disputed: A Japanese activist waves the country's flag after landing on a group of islands known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese
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Territory: An aerial view of Uotsuri Island, one of the disputed islands in the East China Sea
VIDEO: See the Japanese protesters invading the island...
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2191078/Senkaku-islands-feud-Thousands-Chinese-protesters-streets-overturn-Japanese-cars.html#ixzz2sqMXaHTb
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