Japanese protesters are accusing the Chinese regime of invading Japan as tensions simmer over disputed islands in the South China Sea. It's one of a number of protests held in both countries since a shipping incident near the islands last month.
Several thousand Japanese marched through Tokyo on Saturday to protest against what they claim is the Chinese regime's intrusion into a small group of disputed islands in the South China Sea.
It's the second protest in Japan since a collision between Japanese patrol ships and a Chinese fishing boat near the islands—called Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese—which both countries claim as their own.
The incident has also fueled anti-Japan protests in China, leading to diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
More than 2000 protesters marched near the Chinese Embassy, shouting slogans decrying the Chinese regime's so-called invasion of the Senkaku islands, Japan and other Asian countries.
A local politician at the rally spoke critically against the Chinese regime.
[Shingo Nishimura, Politician of Japan's Sunrise Party]:
"The Chinese Communist Party is clearly an enemy of us free citizens. So they cannot be allowed to expand or increase their power. Japan must stand firm not just for the Japanese but for the people of China as well."
Other protesters, like office employee Yuko Nonaka were calling for peace.
[Yuko Nonaka, Tax Office Employee]:
"It's not that I hate China or I want China to disappear. I hold this flag simply for world peace, it is not to instigate war."
Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan has come under pressure at home for his handling of the crisis, with critics claiming he caved in to the Chinese regime's demands by releasing the fishing boat captain.
Police briefly detained two Chinese protesters who tried to disrupt the rally.
