18 August 2012 Last updated at 12:11 ET <\/p>\n
Japanese politicians have set sail for a group of disputed islands, in the teeth of protests by China which claims them for its own. <\/p>\n
A flotilla of some 20 Japanese boats set out for the Senkaku islands, called Diaoyu in China, and is expected to anchor off them early on Sunday. <\/p>\n
The politicians plan to commemorate Japanese dead in World War II, when Japan occupied eastern China. <\/p>\n
But Japan's government has denied them permission to land on the islands. <\/p>\n
China says the event will undermine its \"territorial sovereignty\" and this is the latest move in an escalating dispute over the islands. <\/p>\n
On Friday, Japan deported several Chinese activists who had landed there this week. <\/p>\n
The islands, also claimed by Taiwan, are close to strategically important shipping lanes, offer rich fishing grounds and are thought to contain oil deposits. <\/p>\n
Emotions have been running high since the commemoration on Wednesday of Japan's surrender in World War II, when China and South Korea both protested against a visit to a Tokyo war shrine by two Japanese cabinet members. <\/p>\n
Just before 21:00 (12:00 GMT), the 150-strong party sailed out of the Japanese port of Ishigaki. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Defiant Japanese head for islands<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 18 August 2012 Last updated at 12:11 ET Japanese politicians have set sail for a group of disputed islands, in the teeth of protests by China which claims them for its own. A flotilla of some 20 Japanese boats set out for the Senkaku islands, called Diaoyu in China, and is expected to anchor off them early on Sunday Continue reading