A ROW over islands in the East China Sea has left ties between Japan and China severely strained.

Reuters/BBC Online

In the latest development, Japan says a Chinese frigate locked weapon-targeting radar on one of its navy ships in waters near the islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

The incident has added to tensions between the two nations over the disputed islands.

Japan will consider how much normally classified data it can release, media reports said, citing comments by Japan Defence minister Itsunori Onodera on local television.

China has accused Japan of smearing its name with the accusations. Japan and China have been involved in a series of incidents in recent months in the East China Sea where Chinese and Japanese naval vessels regularly shadow each others movements.

Both countries claim small clusters of islands, known as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan, believed to be rich in oil and gas. Controlled by Japan, possession of the uninhabited outcrops and the sea surrounding them would provide China with easier access to the Pacific.

Hopes had been rising for an easing in tensions, including a possible summit between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Communist Party chief Xi Jinping. But the radar issue has seen China and Japan engage in a fresh round of invective.

Four experts assess how serious the situation is.

Overview: Christopher Hughes The situation is certainly the most serious for Sino-Japanese relations in the post-war period in terms of the risk of militarised conflict.

Read more from the original source:

Sino-Japanese islands crisis deepens