Japan is setting up a naval commando unit to defend the Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands, which China claims are its own illegally occupied territory. The unit will counteract Chinese patrol ships entering the disputed water area in the East China Sea, Russian media reported.
The conflict around the islands was drastically aggravated after September 11, when Tokyo bought out several of the uninhabited islands from private Japanese owners.
Beijing sees the demarche as an effort to buttress Tokyo’s right to the disputed territories.
Chinese ships have since entered the water area around the disputed islands more than 19 times in defiance of Japan’s protests.
