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Japan worried over Chinese naval activity

By Prasanta J Baruah

TOKYO, Oct 25 � Rise in Chinese naval activity and North Korea�s missile and nuclear programmes have caused concern in Japan with Prime Minister Naoto Kan calling upon the State Self Defence Forces to be ready to deal with any developing situations effectively.

According to the �Japan Times�, Prime Minister Kan's comments come at a time of increased tension with China over disputed islands and Beijing's increased military activity in the region, as well as reports that North Korea may be preparing to hold a third nuclear test.

Significantly, Prime Minister Kan also stressed the importance of strengthening the 50-year-old alliance with the United States.He said that he would like to deepen the alliance into an appropriate form for the 21st century.Mr Kan is the head of the ruling centre-left Democratic Party of Japan which ousted the previous conservative government, ending about 50 years of nearly uninterrupted rule.

Ties between Tokyo and Bejing were badly strained after Japan arrested a Chinese trawler captain near a disputed island chain in the East China Sea last month, sparking vociferous protests from Beijing.

The Chinese Navy has been increasingly deployed in areas near Japanese territorial waters in a show of force by the Asian giant.In a tense incident in April, a large Chinese flotilla ventured near a group of Japanese islands in the East China Sea and sent out a helicopter that buzzed Maritime Self Defence Force ships monitoring their movement.

China's increased assertiveness , particularly in the South China Sea has caused jitters in other neighbouring nations as well as the United States, which is at odds with China over trade and currency issues.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Chinese staged protests against Japan on Sunday in Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, stirring more discontent in China-Japan relations.

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