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Japan concerned after China expels its ships

Japan yesterday voiced concern and pressed for answers after China drove away Japanese ships from contested gas-rich waters in the latest dispute between the neighbors.

China has declared that only its own ships involved in energy development can enter the area straddling the two countries' exclusive economic zones in the East China Sea.

At least two Japanese fishing boats have been turned away, according to Tokyo.

"We have expressed our concerns to China that it may be violating Japan's sovereign rights and may be breaching international laws of the sea," Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi called for calm.

"I wonder what they want to do," Koizumi said, referring to China. "I would like to deal with this cool-headedly."

China's Maritime Safety Administration declared the no-sail zone from March 1 to Sept. 30, saying that Chinese ships will be laying cables and pipelines and conducting other work day and night.

In other developments, Japanese Fisheries Agency official Ryutaro Yamamoto said yesterday that the country would begin studying how to expand coral reefs near two islets also claimed by China.

The research will involve cultivating and transplanting coral eggs, Yamamoto said.

Yamamoto said researchers and officials were set to meet today to discuss methods of building up the tiny, uninhabited Okinotorishima islets. Japan has used cement embankments to fortify the rock outcroppings, and uses them to extend its exclusive economic zone far into the Pacific Ocean under a UN agreement.

But Beijing argues they can only be classified as rocks, not islands, and that Tokyo therefore cannot claim exclusive rights to the surrounding area, or prevent China from exploiting nearby resources.

In a separate dispute, the South Korean coast guard has stepped up its vigilance around a chain of islets to block a planned ocean survey by Japanese vessels, officials said yesterday.

The move came after Japan ignored South Korean protests and vowed to go ahead with the survey near the islands in the Sea of Japan (East Sea), called Takeshima in Japanese and Dokdo in Korean.

"We are taking necessary steps in the area such as strengthened vigilance," a coast guard official said, declining to give details.
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