Spat between Japan and China over disputed islands overshadows APEC summit

Prime Minister Naoto Kan said on Monday that he will put the Sino-Japan row over a group of disputed islands on the agenda if he meets Chinese President Hu Jintao during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit that Japan is hosting on November13-14.

China has said that Hu will attend the summit. However, according to an official of the Chinese Foreign Ministry there are no plans for a bilateral meeting so far.

This is the third time in recent weeks that Kan has suggested a full bilateral meeting with a Chinese leader. On the previous two occasions, he had to settle for brief informal chats.

The ties between the Asian giants have cooled off since Japan detained a Chinese trawler captain after the collision of his ship with Japanese vessels near the disputed islands on September 7.

Japan probes leaked collision video

Meanwhile, Japan launched a criminal probe on Monday into a video leaked to YouTube that showed the collision of the ships.

Prime Minister Kan apologized in parliament, admitting the government had been "sloppy" and had failed to keep the video secure.

Over the weekend, thousands of Japanese nationalists demonstrated against China and Tokyo's handling of the territorial spat. It was the third such rally since September.

Author: Tian Miao (RTR, AFP, AP)

Editor: Grahame Lucas