The Japan-China territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands heated up Thursday over a recent incident in the seas involving naval vessels, UPI reported. Japan claims a Chinese navy ship put a radar-lock on a Japanese vessel in the East China Sea, where the countries are locked in a territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands, which China calls the Diaoyu Islands. On Thursday, Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera told a parliamentary committee that China's use of the weapons-guiding radar on the Japanese vessel amounted to a "threat of military force" under the U.N. Charter, Kyodo News reported. He called for dialogue to prevent a recurrence of such incidents. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, seen as being hawkish by China on the island issue, said Wednesday the sea incident was "regrettable" but added "the window for dialogue" wouldn't be closed. Japan says the incident occurred Jan. 30 and Tokyo has lodged a protest with China. The Japanese Defense Ministry also said a Chinese frigate directed the same kind of radar at a Japanese military helicopter earlier in January and that, in both incidents, the Chinese ships eventually turned off their radar without actually firing a shot. China Daily Thursday quoted experts that Japan's accusation of the radar lock-on is a "political drama" to hype the "China threat" angle and only serves Tokyo's excuse for military expansion. The report also reminded that Beijing hasn't officially confirmed the incident. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland has said such actions as the reported lock-on incident will escalate tensions, increase the risk of a miscalculation and could undermine peace and stability in the region. In recent weeks, there have been a number of other maritime incidents, some of which led Japan to scramble fighter jets. In asserting its claim to the islands, China has said it has been conducting regular patrols in its own waters and that Japan shouldn't interfere. Although the United States has refused to take sides, the islands are seen as coming under its mutual security treaty with Japan.
