Japan had rejected an initial demand earlier Saturday, with foreign ministry spokesman Satoru Sato saying Beijing's demand was "totally groundless" and "cannot be accepted at all".

"China of course has the right to demand an apology and compensation from Japan," spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in the Chinese foreign ministry's second statement Saturday as the row rumbled on despite the captain's release.

"We hope that Japan takes practical steps to enrich China and Japan's strategic and mutually beneficial relationship."

The ministry, which had earlier described the man's arrest as "unlawful and invalid", reiterated that the disputed islands at the centre of the spat between the Asian giants "have been part of Chinese territory since ancient times".

Japanese prosecutors cited the deepening rift between Beijing and Tokyo in their decision on Friday to release the skipper, who was arrested after his boat collided with two Japanese coastguard vessels in the East China Sea.

The Japanese government faces accusations at home that it caved in to bullying by China in deciding to release the captain, Zhan Qixiong, who arrived home Saturday morning.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said there had been no political interference in prosecutors' move to free him.

"In any case, China and Japan are important neighbours," Kan said.

Chinese state television showed Zhan, 41, receiving a hero's welcome after a government-chartered plane sent to fetch him touched down at Fuzhou, capital of the southeastern province of Fujian, in the early hours of Saturday.

Making victory signs with his fingers and clutching a bunch of flowers, a smiling Zhan was greeted by his wife, son and government officials.

"I am thankful to the party, the government and my fellow citizens for my peaceful return," Zhan told reporters.

"My detention by Japan was illegal. The Diaoyu Islands are part of Chinese territory. I firmly support the Chinese government's position."

The row started when Japan's coastguard arrested the captain on September 8 after his trawler collided with two of their patrol boats near a disputed island chain, called Senkaku by Japan and Diaoyu by China.

In the ensuing spat, China issued a series of harsh diplomatic protests, summoned Japan's ambassador Uichiro Niwa six times, once after midnight, and cancelled official visits, energy talks and joint cultural events.

On September 13 Japan released the ship's 14 Chinese crew, but on the same day Beijing protested over the skipper's continued detention.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao this week weighed in and threatened "further actions" as Japanese traders reported China had blocked exports of rare earth metals, used in products from iPods to electric cars, a claim Beijing denied.

Further ramping up tensions, China this week detained four Japanese nationals who were working on a bid for a project to clear up chemical weapons left from the Japanese occupation before and during World War II.

Japanese officials met with the four workers on Saturday at a hotel in Shijiazhuang in the northern province of Hebei, a spokesman for the embassy in Beijing told AFP, without providing further details.

Chinese state media warned on Saturday that the dispute -- the worst in years between the two Asian giants -- had caused "long-lasting" damage to delicate Sino-Japanese relations.

Analysts said the trawler captain's release was seen as boosting China's communist leaders at home, where the case sparked strong nationalist sentiment among a domestic audience still sensitive about Japan's past militarism.

Japan meanwhile suspects that China has started drilling in a disputed gas field in the East China Sea, Japanese news reports said Saturday.

The Japanese trade and industry ministry "has recognised that there is a high possibility that China was going ahead with drilling" at the gas field, known in Japan as Shirakaba and in China as Chunxiao, the Mainichi Shimbun said.

The field lies in an area where both countries' claimed exclusive economic zones overlap, and has long been a bone of contention between the growing competitors for energy and mineral resources.

earlier related report
Chinese skipper home from Japan as Beijing demands apology
Beijing (AFP) Sept 25, 2010 - The Chinese trawlerman whose arrest sparked a major row arrived home on Saturday after being released by Japanese prosecutors as Beijing called for compensation and an apology for the "unlawful" detention.

In a far from conciliatory statement, China's foreign ministry insisted the disputed islands at the centre of the diplomatic standoff were Beijing's "inherent territory", according to a report by the state-run Xinhua news agency.

"(The arrest) seriously infringed upon China's territorial sovereignty and violated the human rights of Chinese citizens," the statement said.

"Japan's detention, investigation or any form of judiciary measures for the Chinese trawler and fishermen are unlawful and invalid," the report said, adding: "The Japanese side must make apology and compensation for the incident."

Japanese prosecutors on Friday cited the deepening rift between Beijing and Tokyo in their decision to release the captain, who was arrested after his boat collided with two Japanese coastguard vessels in the East China Sea.

The Chinese captain, Zhan Qixiong, 41, had acted on the spur of the moment and not committed a premeditated criminal act, and he had no prior criminal record in Japan, said Naha district deputy chief prosecutor Toru Suzuki in a televised press conference.

Xinhua, citing the foreign ministry, said Zhan had flown out of Japan's southern Okinawa island prefecture early on Saturday.

In a separate report several hours later, it said he had arrived in southeast Fujian province.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the release was based on domestic law and made in the context of promoting "mutually beneficial" ties with China.

"We both have important responsibilities in the international community in order to further grow our mutually beneficial relationship based on strategic interests," Kan said.

"And I believe it is necessary for Japan and China both to engage in efforts calmly," the prime minister said.

But the conservative opposition was quick to lash out at what it saw as a loss of face for Japan, which has this year been overtaken by traditional rival China as the world's number two economy.

"It was an extremely foolish decision," said hawkish former prime minister Shinzo Abe of the Liberal Democratic Party, Jiji Press reported.

Japanese dailies said the release gave the impression that Tokyo will yield to diplomatic pressure.

The best-selling Yomiuri Shimbun said: "The Japanese coastguard's authority may have been undermined against Chinese fishing boats illegally operating in Japanese waters off the Senkaku islands."

Reaction in Washington was more positive, with State Department spokesman Philip Crowley welcoming the move as "the right decision".

"We are gratified that the situation has been resolved," he said, adding the United States believed the release "will significantly reduce tension" in the region.

The row started when Japan's coastguard arrested the captain on September 8 after his trawler collided with two of their patrol boats near a disputed island chain, called Senkaku by Japan and Diaoyu by China.

In the ensuing row, China issued a series of harsh diplomatic protests, summoned Japan's ambassador Uichiro Niwa six times, once after midnight, and cancelled official visits, energy talks and joint cultural events.

Japan on September 13 released the ship's 14 Chinese crew and allowed them to fly home on a Chinese government-chartered plane, but on the same day Beijing protested over the skipper's continued detention.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao this week threatened "further actions" and warned on Thursday: "China will never give in or compromise on matters including national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity."

Amid the row, traders said China has also blocked exports of rare earth metals, used in products from iPods to electric cars, to Japan -- a claim Beijing has denied.

Further ramping up tensions, China this week detained four Japanese nationals who were working on a bid for a project to clear up chemical weapons left from the Japanese occupation before and during World War II.

Japan has pressed for diplomatic access to its four, who were detained in northern Hebei province for entering a restricted military zone and "illegally filming defence targets", according to China's Xinhua news agency.

Last weekend, on the anniversary of Japan's 1931 invasion of Manchuria, small groups of anti-Japanese demonstrators rallied in three Chinese cities, although the protests were brief and peaceful.

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