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Tokyo (AFP) Sept 5, 2010 Ichiro Ozawa, one of two men vying for the role of Japanese prime minister in a party leadership race, said Sunday Tokyo must bluntly fend off Beijing's claim to disputed islets in the East China Sea. Ozawa is facing off against incumbent Prime Minister Naoto Kan in a September 14 election for leadership of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). If Ozawa wins, he will become the nation's prime minister. During a television debate with Kan, Ozawa said the islets of Senkaku, known as Diaoyu in China, "have never been recognised as Chinese territory in history." "We have to get this straight," Ozawa told the debate, aired by public broadcaster NHK. "There are various concerns over China, but it is important to speak to each other plainly." The uninhabited islets lie between Japan and Taiwan, which both claim them, as does China. The long-standing territorial spat has cast a shadow over ties between the two Asian powers. Ozawa also said Japan should take "decisive measures" against any military threat from China, while calling on Beijing to take political responsibility as a major power in the international community. In April, Japan voiced concerns about a flotilla of Chinese ships, including two submarines, which conducted drills in the East China Sea near Okinawa and then sailed on to the Pacific Ocean. Tokyo also lodged a protest with Beijing after Chinese naval helicopters flew close to Japanese naval destroyers in April also near Okinawa. Bejing rebuffed the protests. During the debate, Kan also said that while promoting its economic ties with China, Japan is ready to deliver a message of concern to China over its growing military build-up. "We need to carefully watch China's growing military strength," Kan said. "If necessary, we have to let them know of our concerns." Kan and Ozawa are locked in a neck-and-neck race in which DPJ representatives in national and local assemblies as well as party members will vote. The Nikkei business daily said Ozawa was in front among party lawmakers, while the Sankei Shimbun said Kan maintained the lead overall, with around 15 percent of DPJ lawmakers yet to make up their minds.
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Finnish court rejects lawsuit to block Nord Stream pipelineHelsinki (AFP) Sept 2, 2010 A regional administrative court in Finland on Thursday rejected suits by environmental groups trying to block Nord Stream's construction of a massive natural gas pipeline on the bottom of the Baltic Sea. "The court rejects demands to overturn the decision (to grant the permit) on the basis of ... shortcomings of its environmental impact study," court documents said. In a decision that co ... read more |
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