Japan's prime minister vowed Tuesday to \"expel by force\" any Chinese landing on islands at the centre of a territorial row, after eight Chinese government vessels sailed into the disputed waters. <\/p>\n
The latest clash over the archipelago upped the stakes in a tense diplomatic battle as nearly 170 Japanese lawmakers visited the controversial Yasukuni war shrine in central Tokyo, seen as a potent symbol of Japan's imperialist past, riling its neighbours China and South Korea. <\/p>\n
Tokyo summoned the Chinese ambassador to Japan after the state-owned Chinese ships entered its territorial waters while Beijing called the shrine visit an \"attempt to deny Japan's history of aggression\". <\/p>\n
The flotilla is the biggest to sail into the disputed waters in a single day since Tokyo nationalised part of the island chain in September. <\/p>\n
The islands are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and are believed to harbour vast natural resources below the seabed. <\/p>\n
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to \"expel by force\" any Chinese landing on the islands in the East China Sea, and promised \"decisive action\". <\/p>\n
\"We would never allow a landing,\" Abe told parliament in response to questions from lawmakers, adding: \"It would be natural for us to expel by force if (the Chinese) were to make a landing,\" he said. <\/p>\n
Chinese ships have frequently sailed around the five Tokyo-controlled islands in recent months sparking diplomatic clashes. <\/p>\n
The Chinese maritime surveillance ships entered the 12-nautical-mile zone off the islands, which China calls Diaoyu and Japan calls the Senkaku, around 8:00 am (2300 GMT Monday), the Japan Coast Guard said. <\/p>\n
\"It is extremely deplorable and unacceptable that Chinese government ships are repeatedly entering Japanese territorial waters,\" Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said. <\/p>\n
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Japan vows force if Chinese land on disputed islands<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Japan's prime minister vowed Tuesday to \"expel by force\" any Chinese landing on islands at the centre of a territorial row, after eight Chinese government vessels sailed into the disputed waters. The latest clash over the archipelago upped the stakes in a tense diplomatic battle as nearly 170 Japanese lawmakers visited the controversial Yasukuni war shrine in central Tokyo, seen as a potent symbol of Japan's imperialist past, riling its neighbours China and South Korea. Tokyo summoned the Chinese ambassador to Japan after the state-owned Chinese ships entered its territorial waters while Beijing called the shrine visit an \"attempt to deny Japan's history of aggression\". Continue reading