Shinzo Abe slams Beijing 'provocations' on islands tour

Japanese leader Shinzo Abe warned yesterday of the heightened security risk facing Japan because of "provocations" from Beijing as he inspected two small islets close to the disputed Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea.

In a trip seen as sending a tough signal to Beijing, the prime minister vowed that he would "never make concessions" over the sovereignty of the islets, which Japan calls the Senkakus, and that he would lead Japan to protect its territory.

"I will protect people's lives and property, our country's territorial lands, water and air space," Abe was quoted by Kyodo news agency as telling 40 coastguard officers on Ishigaki, an island close to Taiwan and the Diaoyus at the southwestern end of Japan's Ryukyu archipelago.

"Japan faces a grim security environment because Chinese vessels are frequently sailing to areas close to our waters, and there are consistent provocations targeted at us."

Abe visited Ishigaki and nearby Miyako, about 300km south of Okinawa, to canvass support for his Liberal Democratic Party in Sunday's Upper House election, but his visit is expected to dismay Beijing as the two islands are barely 160 kilometres from the disputed territory.

A report by Asahi Shimbun, quoting Ishigaki officials, said Abe's visit was the first by an incumbent prime minister since the 1972 reversion of Okinawa to Japan.

The report said the visit showed that Abe's stance on the territorial dispute would not change after the election.