The week-long heated diplomatic row over the incident near a disputed East China Sea island chain has already seen Beijing summon Tokyo's ambassador five times and cancel energy talks and a lawmaker's visit to Tokyo.

Japan's Asahi Shimbun daily, citing unnamed Chinese public security sources, reported Wednesday that demonstrators were calling online for protesters to march to Japan's embassy in Beijing on Saturday.

"Chinese authorities are preparing to be on full alert as a sizeable demonstration is expected to be held on September 18 in Beijing," the news report said.

"The Japanese embassy has scrambled to collect information (about the rally) as anti-Japanese sentiment has been deteriorating in China," the Asahi said.

The report added that "Chinese security authorities are expected to permit the rally, but may take some measures depending upon the size."

A spokesman at the Japanese embassy in Beijing said they had received no word of any protest plans from police, who have had dozens of officers stationed near the embassy for days for security.

"We have been in close communication with police, but we have received no notice from them about a protest," he said on condition of anonymity.

Relevant police authorities could not immediately be reached.

There appeared to be no organised effort on the Internet or Chinese blogs to stage protests, although authorities typically block such content.

A Japanese school in Beijing has decided to postpone an athletics festival planned for Saturday to sometime in October at the request of Chinese police, the Nikkei business daily reported in its evening edition.

Meanwhile, Japan's consulate in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou issued a warning to compatriots in China "to avoid behaviour that makes you stand out as Japanese," the Nikkei said.

The row between the two Asian giants has seen Tokyo insisting that the captain of the Japanese fishing vessel intentionally rammed two of its coastguard patrol vessels during a high-seas chase near the uninhabited islands, which are called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

China has called his detention illegal and repeatedly warned Japan it must release him or cause serious harm to bilateral relations.

The United States called Tuesday for dialogue to settle the dispute.

earlier related report
China again summons Japanese ambassador in boat row
Beijing (AFP) Sept 15, 2010 - China called in Japan's envoy for a fresh dressing-down over the detention of a Chinese fishing captain as Washington weighed in on the worst diplomatic spat between the regional rivals in years.

Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin summoned ambassador Uichiro Niwa on Tuesday to complain again over Japan's continued "illegal detention" of the skipper, a statement on his ministry's website said.

Liu "demanded that Japan immediately release and send back the Chinese boat captain".

China has summoned Niwa at least five times over the September 7 collision between a Chinese fishing trawler and two Japan coast guard vessels in disputed waters, an incident which has strained ties between the two Asian heavyweights.

The latest action appeared to indicate Beijing would keep up pressure for the unconditional release of boat captain Zhan Qixiong despite Japanese complaints over China's stance and a US call for dialogue.

US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said Tuesday that Washington hoped the dispute could "be resolved peacefully through dialogue between China and Japan".

Japan says Zhan intentionally rammed the Japanese patrol vessels during a high-seas chase near contested islands in the East China Sea claimed by both countries as well as Taiwan.

Warning of a "serious impact" on relations, Beijing has already postponed talks with Tokyo on joint energy exploration in the East China Sea and scrapped a trip to Japan by a senior lawmaker in protest.

Japan on Tuesday called the situation "extremely regrettable" and has complained to Beijing over the postponement of the energy talks.

Japan's Asahi Shimbun daily reported that anti-Japanese protesters in China plan to rally Saturday in Beijing over the incident.

However, a Japanese embassy spokesman in Beijing said they had received no word of any protest plans from police, and there appeared to be no organised effort on major Chinese Internet sites or blogs to stage protests.

The uninhabited islands -- called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China -- lie in an area with rich fishing grounds that is also believed to contain oil and gas deposits, and which has been a frequent focus of regional tensions.

Ties between China and Japan had steadily warmed since 2006, when they began to put behind decades of distrust stemming largely from Japan's wartime invasion of China. They already have a deep trade and economic relationship.

In the face of strong words over the incident by China, which has been steadily building up its armed forces including its naval power, Crowley stressed the importance of the US-Japan alliance.

He called it "a cornerstone of security and stability across Asia".

Liu, the assistant foreign minister, is relatively low-level compared to officials who previously summoned Niwa. China typically signals its desire to escalate or downplay an issue through the seniority of the officials involved.

The boat and its crew have returned to China after being released by Japan. Zhan, however, could face up to three years in jail on charges of obstructing Japanese officers.

China's communist government often invokes humiliating past incursions by foreign powers to stir nationalism-tinged support at home. It thus reacts furiously to any apparent territorial challenge, whether on land or at sea.

Chinese demonstrators staged sometimes violent protests in China in 2005 and 2006 over a range of grievances with Tokyo.

A group of protesters demonstrated outside the Japanese embassy in Beijing last week but no further actions have been reported after China stepped up security around the compound.

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