The authorities are considering deporting the group, Japanese and Chinese media reports said. China has called for the activists‘ immediate and unconditional release. There are 14 in the group, some of whom are believed to be journalists and crew members.
Five activists who landed on one of the islands with flags have arrived in Naha in Okinawa and the other seven are expected to be transferred later in the day, Japanese media reports said.
The group may be deported if it is determined that they ’‘did nothing else illegal’‘, said a Reuters report citing Japanese broadcaster NHK.
“They may be transferred to the Immigration Bureau of Japan later and sent back to Hong Kong,” a spokesman from Japan Coast Guard was quoted as saying in a report by Chinese state media late on Wednesday.
The United States has urged the two nations to resolve the conflict peacefully. “Any kinds of provocations are not helpful in that regard,” said State Department representative Victoria Nuland.
Tensions between China and Japan have been rumbling in recent months over the islands in the East China Sea. Largely uninhabited, they are close to strategically important shipping lanes, offer rich fishing grounds and are thought to contain oil deposits.
아주경제 앤드류 이 기자=
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com