ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Tokyo on Monday as a dispute simmers over Beijing's recent claim of a large swathe of airspace in the region.
Newly appointed U.S. ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy was at the airport to greet him.
Biden is hoping to seek a delicate balance between calming military tensions with China and backing ally Japan against Beijing on a trip to Asia this week that is being overshadowed by the territorial row in the East China Sea.
Japan reiterated that Tokyo and Washington had both rejected Beijing's move to set up an air defense zone that includes islands at the heart of a bitter Sino-Japanese feud - despite the fact that three U.S. airlines, acting on government advice, are notifying China of plans to transit the zone.
Washington said over the weekend this did not mean U.S. acceptance of the zone, and last week sent two B-52 bombers into the area without informing China.
Japa
