LEAD: Japan spurns China's demand for apology, compensation over skipper+

TOKYO, Sept. 25 Kyodo -
(EDS: ADDING MORE OF JAPAN'S STATEMENT, OTHER INFO IN 2ND-6TH, 19TH GRAFS)
China on Saturday demanded that Japan apologize and offer compensation for its
detention of a Chinese fishing boat captain over collisions near the disputed
Senkaku Islands, but Japan immediately rejected the call as unfounded.
In a statement released early Saturday shortly after the captain arrived in
China, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, ''Japan's detention, investigation or
any form of judiciary measures for the Chinese trawler and fishermen are
unlawful and invalid...infringed upon China's territorial sovereignty...and
violated the human rights'' of the Chinese nationals.
But Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Satoru Sato said in a statement later
in the day that Japan dealt with the case in accordance with its law and
China's claims were ''groundless'' and ''totally unacceptable.''
''There is no doubt either historically or under international law that (the
Senkaku Islands) are an integral part of our country and we are actually
validly controlling them,'' the statement said, reiterating there is no
territorial issue to be resolved.
Later, in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu retorted that
''China of course has the right to demand the Japanese side to make (an)
apology and compensation'' for the seizure of the trawler.
The skipper, 41-year-old Zhan Qixiong, arrived early Saturday in Fuzhou in
southern China's Fujian Province on a chartered plane after being released a
few hours earlier by Japanese prosecutors from more than two weeks of detention
on suspicion of deliberately causing his vessel to collide with a Japanese
patrol boat pursuing his fishing boat near the islands in the East China Sea.
The islands are administered by Japan but are also claimed by Beijing and Taiwan.
The Naha District Public Prosecutors Office in Okinawa Prefecture decided
Friday to release Zhan, saying it had taken into account the future of Tokyo's
relationship with Beijing.
After the collisions on Sept. 7, Zhan was held along with the 14 other Chinese
crew members of the fishing boat. The 14 were released a week later but Zhan
continued to be detained while Japanese prosecutors carried out investigations.
China had repeatedly demanded his immediate release and protested over his
detention to Japanese Ambassador to China Uichiro Niwa.
The incident saw bilateral relations deteriorate to their lowest level in
years, with China announcing the suspension of ministerial-level exchanges and
postponing scheduled talks with Japan over an undersea gas bed dispute.
On Thursday, Chinese state media said four Japanese nationals had been detained
in Hebei Province since Monday for questioning over allegations they entered a
military zone without authorization.
The incident has also sparked heated nationalist sentiment in both China and
Japan.
During interviews with the Chinese media after arriving in Fuzhou, Zhan
expressed gratitude toward the Chinese government and people, while insisting
his arrest was illegal and that the chain of disputed islets in the East China
Sea are Chinese territory. The islets are called the Senkaku Islands in Japan
and the Diaoyu in China.
Zhan declined to respond to reporters from Japanese news organizations who
gathered at the airport in Fuzhou.
His release is expected to prompt the Japanese government to seek the lifting
of China's suspension of contacts at the ministerial level and its restrictions
on rare earth mineral exports to Japan as well as the immediate release of the
four Japanese nationals in Hebei.
However, some experts said the latest statement by China indicates its measures
could remain in effect for the time being and that the strain in ties will be
prolonged.
At the same time, the statement called for resolving the issue through
dialogue, saying that maintaining a ''mutually beneficial and strategic
relationship'' would be conducive to the fundamental interests of the two
countries.
Japan's statement also noted it is ''extremely important to have a stable
development of Japan-China relations, not only for the two countries but also
for the region and the international community,'' and that the two sides should
continue to seek a mutually beneficial and strategic relationship ''based on a
broader perspective.''
The captain was arrested on Sept. 8 by the Japan Coast Guard on suspicion of
obstructing Coast Guard members in performing their duties near the Senkaku
Islands.
The captain's release came despite court authorization for the extension of his
detention until Sept. 29.
==Kyodo
2010-09-25 23:28:47


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