Japanese Coast Guard faces off Taiwanese fishing boats near disputed islands

The Japanese Coast Guard used water cannons yesterday to keep away Taiwanese fishing boats in waters claimed by Tokyo, as a territorial dispute looks set to widen. The dispute has already pitted Japan against China and put vital trade relations in the region in jeopardy.

According to Japan's top government spokesman, Osamu Fujimura, Tokyo had lodged a protest with Taiwan's government over the intrusion into waters off a chain of islands over which Japan, China and Taiwan have laid claims.

Tokyo's protest comes only a day following a similar incident with Chinese fishing vessels off the islands, which Japan calls the Senkaku while China calls the Diaoyu.

Though uninhabited, the islands located near coveted fishing grounds and could potentially hold rich gas reserves. There is also a historical dimension to the issue due to grievances in East Asia going back to Japan's conduct during and before World War II.

Though the governments of Taiwan and Japan share friendly relations, activists in Taiwan, as in mainland China and Hong Kong, have added their voice to the brewing dispute over the islands.

The Japanese public broadcaster, NHK, showed footage of a Japanese Coast Guard vessel blasting water at a Taiwanese fishing boat as another Taiwanese boat tried to spray water back.