Taiwan sends warship to islands claimed by Japan

TAIWAN - Tokyo's worsening relations with its Asian neighbours suffered a further blow yesterday when Taiwan sent a warship to claim jurisdiction over a group of islands claimed by Japan as well as China.

Tokyo's defence minister Yoshinori Ohno appealed for 'calm' after his Taiwanese counterpart Lee Jye boarded a warship with fifteen senior politicians and sailed for the resource-rich Tiaoyutai Islands in a symbolic show of support for Taiwan's fishermen, who have repeatedly clashed with the Japanese Coast Guard.


The 4,200-ton frigate sailed close to the islands - dubbed Senkaku in Japan -- in the East China Sea before returning to Taiwan, where the government has come under heavy fire for not standing up to what one legislator called Japan's "expansionary policies" in the region.

The makeup of the expedition, which included legislators from the three major Taiwanese parties, indicated the move enjoyed widespread popular support.

Wang Jin-pyng, a politician on board the warship, said the aim was to "safeguard Taiwan's sovereignty and to protect Taiwanese fishermen that have been expelled from the area by the Japan Coast Guard."

Tadashi Ikeda, the de-facto Japanese ambassador to Taipei, called the decision to send the warship to the islands "inappropriate."

The islands are about 400 kilometers from Japan's Okinawan coast and are also claimed by China, which reacted angrily after what it called Tokyo's "expansion" of its exclusive economic zone to within 37km of the Taiwan coast.

Four Taiwanese fishermen claim that 13 of their boats have been seized by Japan in the last four years and have threatened to escalate the dispute unless Taipei takes a firmer line.

Two weeks ago, increased seizures by Japan's patrol boats sparked a protest by the fishermen that won huge support back home.

Last weekend, a Taiwanese captain detained then released on bail by the Japanese coast guard returned home to a hero's welcome.

The clash is another sign of rising tensions in East Asia, which has already been badly shaken by rows over how Japan records and commemorates its colonial rule of the region.

For years a lethargic presence on the international diplomatic scene, Tokyo under nationalist Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has begun taking a more aggressive stance over long-standing territorial claims, bringing increasing friction with its neighbours.

This month, another local Japanese parliament called for regular inspections of the uninhabited Tiaoyutai, in an apparent bid to strengthen Japan's claims over the islands.

China called the move "a serious infringement on its territorial sovereignty."

The islands, which China calls Diaoyu, were incorporated by Japan in 1895.

- INDEPENDENT