Japan confronts Taiwanese fishing boats

Japanese coast guards have been firing water cannon at dozens of Taiwanese boats near a chain of disputed islands.

The Taiwanese fleet, which includes fishing boats and armed coast guard vessels, entered the waters in the East China sea on Tuesday, according to the Japanese coastguard.

After Japan and China, Taiwan is the third country to lay claim on the islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

Japanese coast guard vessels fired water cannon to turn away around 40 Taiwanese fishing boats and the accompanying Taiwanese coast guard vessels early on Tuesday morning, a government official said.

Osamu Fujimura, the Japanese cabinet secretary, said that the coast guard used water cannon and other measures to get the Taiwanese boats to change course.

The islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, are controlled by Japan but claimed by China and Taiwan.

Tension in the region has been high since Japan's purchase of the islands from their private Japanese owner.

Taiwanese vessels, including coastguard ships, have now left the area.

Meanwhile Japanese Vice-Foreign Minister Chikao Kawai, who is in Beijing for a two-day visit, is meeting Chinese counterpart Zhang Zhijun, amid a row that has seen anti-Japanese protests in several Chinese cities.

Chinese surveillance and fishing boats have also been sailing in and out of waters around the islands in recent days, following the Japanese government's announcement that it had bought the islands.

The row over ownership of the islands has been rumbling for years and has flared sporadically.

Both China and Taiwan say they have inherited historic sovereignty over the islands.

The Japanese government moved to buy the islands in response to a potentially much more provocative plan by right-wing Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara to buy and develop them using public donations.

The row comes at a time when both China and Japan are facing political changes domestically, making it difficult for either side to be seen as backing down.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's government - already hit by poor figures in opinion polls - is likely to face an election in coming months. China is due to hold a party congress in weeks that will see major changes in the top echelons of leadership.

Arriving in Beijing on Monday, Japan's envoy Chikao Kawai stressed the importance of bilateral ties.

"Because of the current difficult situation, I plan to explain what Japan is now considering to Zhang Zhijun and listen to what China is considering, for the importance of the relationship between both countries," he said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Beijing would set out its position: "China will urge Japan to correct their mistakes and make efforts in improving ties," he said.

A ceremony to mark 40 years of ties with Japan - due on Thursday - has been put off.

Last week, several major Japanese companies briefly suspended operations in China after attacks on shops and car dealerships.

This led to fears over a larger impact on trade between China and Japan, which is worth about $345bn

Most Japanese companies have resumed their operations in China. But China's customs officials are to step up inspection of Japanese air cargo arriving at Beijing airport, said a Kyodo news report citing unnamed Japanese businesses sources.