World

Tensions Rise as Video Surfaces of Chinese Fishing Boat Ramming Japanese Vessel

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese officials are checking the authenticity of a video purportedly showing a collision between Japanese coast guard vessels and a Chinese fishing boat off disputed islands that was leaked Friday, potentially worsening a dispute between the Asian neighbors.

Coast guard spokeswoman Mariko Inoue said the government is checking into the video, which was shown on YouTube and then Japanese television networks.

The Sept. 7 collision sparked a high-level tiff with Beijing because it occurred in waters near a group of islands claimed by Japan and China in the East China Sea. Several large anti-Japanese demonstrations have occurred in response across China.

The video has raised concerns it could rekindle the dispute ahead of an international summit in Japan next week. Tokyo hopes to have a bilateral meeting with China’s leader on the sidelines of the summit.

The video showed a trawler bumping a Japanese vessel, while sirens wailed in the background and the Japanese crew shouted orders for the ship to stop. A voice on the video said in Japanese, “The ship is taking aggressive action.” The ship then appeared to ram the Japanese vessel.

“Check our position!,” the voice said. The trawler then steamed away.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku called the leak of the video “unexpected and grave” because it is evidence in a continuing investigation into the collision. Sengoku also confirmed Friday that China has questioned Japan about the leak through diplomatic channels.

“I don’t think the Japanese government at this juncture intends to release the video,” said Noriyuki Shikata, spokesman for prime minister’s office. “The prime minister is saying that we have to conduct a thorough investigation and try find out the background of what happened, although we haven’t confirmed that this is the true video.”

On Monday, about 30 members of Japan’s parliament reviewed a video of the collision which was reportedly about six minutes long. The video was not officially made available to the public or other members of parliament, however.

Japan’s coast guard claims the captain of the Chinese ship refused to stop for an inspection and collided with its vessels. The captain was arrested and prosecutors considered pressing charges, but he was later released and sent back to China.

“If this means that information from the government has been leaked, we must handle this as an incident,” Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara told a parliament committee.

China has said the video does not change its view that Japan acted illegally by arresting the fishing boat captain.

“The so-called video cannot change the truth and cannot cover up the unlawfulness of the Japanese action,” Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement posted on the ministry’s website earlier this week.

Called Diaoyu or Diaoyutai in Chinese and Senkaku in Japanese, the islands are controlled by Japan but also claimed by China. Located 120 miles (190 kilometers) east of Taiwan, the islands are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and are regularly occupied by nationalists from both sides.

After the collision, China demanded an apology and compensation, but Tokyo countered by demanding that Beijing pay for damage to the patrol boats.

Beijing cut off ministerial-level contacts with Japan, repeatedly called in Tokyo’s ambassador to complain, and postponed talks on the joint development of undersea natural gas fields.

___

AP writers Shino Yuasa and Malcolm Foster contributed to this report.

Comments (38)

  • Eyeball
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 11:04pm

    The more economically powerful China get, the bigger bully it becomes. That’s the nature of communism.

    Report Post » Eyeball  
  • Gaseous Clay
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 10:57pm

    The Japanese are mirror of us in the east. Everyone hates them but everyone depends on them for free money.

    Report Post »  
  • calebgs83
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 4:20pm

    Asians have long memories…and the Chinese have not forgotten the rape and genocide committed against them at the hands of the Japanese from 1937-1945…I can’t blame them.

    Report Post » calebgs83  
    • calebgs83
      Posted on November 5, 2010 at 4:34pm

      The Chinese lost approximately 20,000,000 people during the war, mostly civilians.

      Report Post » calebgs83  
  • the hawk
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 2:43pm

    I‘m tellin ya china is picking a fight I’m not for nukes really, but maybe we should give Japan a dozen to piont right at them and MAYBE they’ll behave. We have to be Idiots to be in their debt.

    Report Post »  
  • lbsm
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 2:35pm

    so the chinese are using the ol’ sea shepherd tactic eh?

    Report Post » lbsm  
  • historypaper
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 2:35pm

    China is a menace. Tens of thousands will be killed when China comes to town looking for their money. Obama will meet with the President of the Communist Slave Minded Dictatorship and bow long and hard. Obama is a disgrace. China is full of people that would kill us all today but its more fun for them killing us slowly through economic force. Obama should stay over there somewhere and just sit on the beach and smoke his heart out.

    Report Post » historypaper  
  • goldmankc
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 1:58pm

    during ww2 china was nearly wiped off the face of the earth by the japanese, payback time?

    Report Post » goldmankc  
  • dontbotherme
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 1:37pm

    They both “own” so much of our finances that we could suffer some severe consequences because of their angst.

    Report Post »  
  • Slick Zero
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 11:16am

    Oh I see…the Japanese boat was with the coast guard. Still, I don‘t think it’s an act of war between the 2 governments.

    Report Post »  
  • Slick Zero
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 11:14am

    I don’t see how 2 boats colliding in the middle of the ocean was perpetuated by the Chinese government. Looks more like a territorial dispute amongst fishermen.

    Report Post »  
  • Zoe
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 11:06am

    Need a faster boat………………………..

    Report Post » Zoe  
  • Diamondback
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 11:01am

    Why is everyone so concerned about Obamao’s safety while on his trip? Personally, it wouldn’t bother me a bit if something was to happen to the Communist SOB! I just don’t understand the concern. Is it just PC to act concerned about his safety? The SOB is intentionally trying to destroy our Republic and seize our liberties! He deserves whatever he gets.

    Report Post »  
    • Jezreel
      Posted on November 5, 2010 at 11:58am

      Here here! I am in agreement with you. If anything bad happens to him, he brought it on himself. Actually, here will be consequences to his deliberately destroying our nation. It will come back upon his own head.

      Report Post »  
    • w4jle
      Posted on November 6, 2010 at 7:12am

      Pray nothing happens to him, we could end up with Biden or if he is gone Pelosi until the next congress is seated.

      Report Post » w4jle  
  • Sledgehammer
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 10:47am

    Need an expert, but following the wake of the chinese trawler, she cut in to the Japanese ship! This is on the chicoms.

    Report Post » Sledgehammer  
  • NHABE64
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 10:38am

    For anyone who has lived in Asia (not just visited) will know that China does not forget WWII. Asians do not forget when someone does them wrong. We hear about the Hiroshima bombing, it was childs play compared to what the Japs did in WWII. There were more people tortured, buried alive and beheaded in China during the rape of Nanking that lives lost in both Hiroshiam and Nagasaki. Not to mention how many of our POW’s were tortued and cruelly treated beyond imagination. The Japs at that time were absolute fanatical mass murderers. Speaking only of the horrors they did in China including mass rape of their women, slicing off women’s breasts, sticking poles through their bodies and burying them alive. It just goes on. Japan knows the Chinese hate them that is why the Japs wll never allow American presence to end there. China would love to squash Japan and that includes the Koreans as well. Just setting the record straight from one who knows better.

    Report Post »  
  • George
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 10:36am

    The only thing missing is the Sea Shepherds.

    Report Post »  
  • txbigfoot
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 9:29am

    Guy stop the ad spam
    Grow up

    Report Post » txbigfoot  
  • pro1822
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 9:28am

    Boys and their toys, looks like a neighborhood sqabble

    Report Post »  
  • HouseNegro
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 9:25am

    Why am I supposed to care? Is Japan gonna attack China and pull the U.S, into a war? I think Japan remembers what happened the last time they poked a big kid with a stick. Or will China attack Japan prevoking a response from the U.S. Don’t get me wrong I think we could use a few hunderd million less Chinamen, it would make the global warming nuts happy lower their carbon footprint. But alas nothing will come of this.

    Report Post » SpankDaMonkey  
  • HillBillySam1
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 9:25am

    I think that the Chinese captain was a woman……a woman just cannot drive……

    Banzai!!!!

    Report Post »  
  • RepubliCorp
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 9:16am

    No love loss here……..

    Report Post » RepubliCorp  
  • WORKS FROM HOME
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 9:14am

    China gets bolder and bolder
    learn how to blog for free and use google adsense make a passive income with it.
    http://whamhost.info/

    whamhost.info WORKS FROM HOME  
  • grandmaof5
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 9:11am

    Add this to the list of reasons Obama needs to stay home.

    Report Post »  
  • john seven eighteen
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 9:11am

    Trouble‘s a brewin’! This could get real ugly!

    Report Post » john seven eighteen  
  • snowleopard3200 {mix art}
    Posted on November 5, 2010 at 9:11am

    Here we once again go down the path of lunacy in this world, and Mr Obama is heading over to the area. Do not be shocked if there is a sudden emergency that he needs to solve diplomatically between the ‘free people of china’ and the ‘agressors of japan’ as he would put it.

    Assuming nothing happens to him in India, heaven forbid.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • HouseNegro
      Posted on November 5, 2010 at 9:34am

      Snow Obama will drop his pants and bend over first chance he gets. The emergency would be if the person behind him forgot protection. Would not want them to catch what Barry has.

      And, I still hope the Indian Monkey God nails him with a coconut……………..

      SpankDaMonkey  
    • WeimMom
      Posted on November 5, 2010 at 9:34am

      Maybe he will stay to be their leader!!

      Report Post » WeimMom  
    • Rogue
      Posted on November 5, 2010 at 10:01am

      Off topic, but was that an infidel reporting for Al Jazeera?

      Report Post » Rogue  
    • untameable-kate
      Posted on November 5, 2010 at 11:44am

      Well, now that we owe our souls to China who’s side do you think BO will come down on. Of course the Japanese hold a pretty good chunk of that soul but nothing compared to China.

      Report Post » Untameable-kate  
    • Polwatcher
      Posted on November 5, 2010 at 12:23pm

      Ho do you cuss in Japanese and Chinese?

      Report Post »  
    • paleoconservatarian
      Posted on November 6, 2010 at 12:47am

      untameable-kate

      Obama should try not to get involved other than to ask both side to show restraint.

      China may own a chunk of our soul, but even so we will not turn out an ally.

      Report Post » paleoconservatarian  

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