1,000 Chinese boats to arrive in waters near Senkakus: reports

BEIJING (Kyodo) -- Around 1,000 Chinese fishing boats are expected to arrive in waters near the Senkaku Islands claimed by China in a couple of days, Chinese media organizations reported, in what may be Beijing's additional countermeasures over Japan's nationalization of the islets.

If a large number of Chinese vessels intrude into Japanese territorial waters around the Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea, it could trigger unexpected incidents such as clashes with Japan Coast Guard patrol ships, further escalating tensions between the two countries.

The state-run China National Radio said in an online edition that Chinese fisheries authorities will monitor the fishing boats' activities near the uninhabited islets, which Beijing calls Diaoyu, via a marine observation satellite.

China Central Television said Monday night the fishing boats are expected to arrive in waters near the disputed islands on Tuesday or Wednesday.

The 1,000 boats from coastal provinces such as Zhejiang and Fujian may be joined by six Chinese surveillance ships that have been staying in nearby waters since intruding into Japanese territorial waters near the islands Friday.

Meanwhile, anti-Japan protests continued in Beijing for the seventh straight day on Monday, but were much smaller than the mass demonstrations -- some violent -- that took place across China over the weekend.

As police tightened security around the Japanese Embassy, about 200 people on Monday marched on a street in front of the embassy, protesting the Japanese government's announcement on Tuesday last week that it put the islands under state control by signing a purchase contract with the owner of three of the islands, a Japanese individual.

Some of the protests on Saturday and Sunday involved vandalism, looting and arson targeting Japanese factories, stores and restaurants operating in the country.

The Japanese Consulate General in the southern city of Guangzhou said Monday that a Japanese man suffered a minor injury after being hit from behind by Chinese men while shopping in a market in Dongguan city in the province on Friday.

Also, authorities in Beijing's Chaoyang District have advised Japanese business in the district not to open on Tuesday, when anti-Japan demonstrations are expected, it was learned Monday from Japanese businesses in the capital.

By late Monday, there were calls on the Internet for protests to be staged in over 50 cities throughout China on Tuesday.

The Japanese Embassy said Monday that given the likelihood of protests being staged near the embassy on Tuesday, there will be no passport or visa services on the day.

Tuesday marks the 81st anniversary of the start of the 1931 Mukden Incident, also known as the Manchurian Incident, in which the Imperial Japanese Army blew up a Japanese railway in southern Manchuria to serve as a pretext for invading northeastern China.

Japan maintains the Senkaku Islands are an integral part of Japanese territory and that there are no territorial disputes between the two countries. Taiwan also claims sovereignty over the islands, which are known as Tiaoyutai to the Taiwanese.

September 17, 2012(Mainichi Japan)

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