Tokyo: Japan will seek compensation from China for damages to its diplomatic missions in the country during protests over disputed islands, Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura has said.
He said that ‘this was an issue between the governments’.
“Regarding damage to our embassies and consulates, we plan to demand compensation [from China] as it is an issue between the governments,” Fujimura said in Tokyo.
He added that any damage to Japanese property in China should be handled under local laws.
Fujimura also said that the Japanese prime minister is planning to send a special envoy to China as part of efforts ‘to resolve the issue cool-headedly through various diplomatic routes’.
According to the BBC, tensions have been high between Japan and China after Japan purchased three of the disputed islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, from a private owner.
Both Japan and China, as well as Taiwan, claim the uninhabited, but resource-rich islands that are controlled by Japan.
Over the last week anti-Japanese protests in China have forced Japanese businesses to close or scale down operations.
When asked whether China would pay for damages related to the protests, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said that relevant cases would be handled appropriately, the report added.
ANI
First Published: Friday, September 21, 2012, 19:10