Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu says the Japanese government will keep a close eye on developments regarding China's coast guard, including a planned legal revision outlining its responsibilities.
Kato told reporters on Thursday the government is committed to defending the lives and assets of the Japanese people, including fishing boats, as well as Japan's territorial waters and air space. He pledged to continue to monitor and patrol the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and deal calmly yet firmly with China.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide says the government is keeping an eye on developments involving Chinese Confucius Institutes.
The institutes are educational establishments set up by Beijing in cooperation with universities around the world, including Japan, to promote Chinese language and culture.
A group of ruling party lawmakers is seeking legislation for surveys of the Senkaku Islands and the surrounding waters to strengthen Japan's effective control over them.
The move comes as Chinese government ships are increasing their activities in waters around the islands. Chinese patrol boats have navigated in the contiguous zone outside the Japanese territorial waters around them for more than 100 days in a row.
Japan's government is keeping an eye on the confrontation between the US and China that grew more intense with a tit-for-tat closure of consulates in each country.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide stressed the importance of stable relations between the US and China.
Snow remains near the peak of the 1,613-meter-high mountain. The swamp, about 50 meters in diameter, is said to look like a huge "dragon eye" when seen from above.
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