Japanese in China warned to be on alert amid bilateral tensions

BEIJING, Sept. 16 Kyodo -
Japan's embassy in China has notified Japanese tourists and Japanese residing
in the country to be on the alert as the 79th anniversary of an early event in
the second Sino-Japanese war approaches amid renewed bilateral tensions over
the collisions last week between a Chinese fishing boat and Japanese coastguard
vessels.
In a notice posted on its website and emailed Wednesday to Japanese nationals
living in China, the embassy advised citizens to be vigilant of their
surroundings when in crowded places, to be cautious in ''speech and behavior''
when interacting with Chinese and to refrain from ''provocative actions.''
The advisory said anti-Japanese behavior had taken place sporadically in the
aftermath of the collision Sept. 7 near the disputed Senkaku Islands, and
Chinese nationalism could heighten as the anniversary known as the Sept. 18
incident approaches.
The skipper of the fishing trawler is still held by Japanese authorities on
allegations he deliberately caused the vessel to collide with one of the
Japanese patrol boats pursuing it near the islands and of unlawfully fishing in
Japanese territorial waters.
The boat and the 14 crew members earlier held by Japan have since returned to
China and Beijing has repeatedly demanded the immediate release of the captain.
A day after the collision, a protest by about 30 activists from a group
asserting Chinese sovereignty over the islands, administered by Japan and
claimed by both China and Taiwan, took place in front of the Japanese Embassy.
Small metal balls were also reported to have been lobbed into a Japanese school
for elementary and junior high school students in Tianjin on Sunday night and a
man was reported to have thrown beer bottles at the Japanese consulate in
Guangzhou last week.
So far, no one has been reported hurt and the embassy notice said Chinese
public security authorities have ensured the safety of Japanese nationals in
China.
Following the protest in Beijing, security has been stepped up around the
downtown embassy with public security vehicles parked near the compound.
Latent anti-Japanese sentiments still simmer in China over the legacy of the
war. The Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun earlier reported that a demonstration
was planned for protestors to march Saturday to the Japanese Embassy from a
nearby park.
Asked about it, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said the determination of
China's government and people to defend Chinese territory is ''unwavering,''
but she believed the ''Chinese public will be rational and use legitimate means
to express their opinions.''
Official approval is required in order for protests to be held legally in China.
In response to the Asahi's report, the China Federation for Defending the
Diaoyu Islands, one of the groups said to be behind the weekend protest,
released a statement denying its involvement in organizing any demonstration
for Saturday and called the report ''rumor-mongering.''
The group was behind last week's demonstration in front of the Japanese
Embassy, and asserts Chinese sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands, known as the
Diaoyu Islands in China.
On Chinese-language websites, nationalistic Chinese ''netizens'' have in past
days also called for protests in other Chinese cities.
Widespread anti-Japanese protests that broke out in China in 2005 saw massive
demonstrations in cities across the country including Beijing, with some
turning violent.
==Kyodo