China and Japan are on collision course again.<br /><br />Beijing has decreed a new air defence zone over the East China Sea. Within its perimeter are disputed islands also claimed by Tokyo.<br /><br />China says aircraft failing to identify themselves will face “emergency defensive measures”. The zone covers what it calls the Diaoyu Islands, known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan.<br /><br />Insisting it was China’s right to self-defence, Chinese Defence Ministry Spokesman Yang Yujun said: “It is not directed against any specific country or target. It does not affect the freedom of flights over the airspace concerned.”<br /><br />But for Tokyo it is a provocation. <br /><br />Reiterating its position that Japan owns the islands, thought to be surrounded by energy-rich waters, it has lodged a protest with China.<br /><br />Patrol ships from both countries have been shadowing each other in the vicinity on and off for months, raising fears of a confrontation.<br /><br />There have also been incidents involving military aircraft flying close to each other.
