Japanese official cancels Beijing visit

A top Japanese Foreign Ministry official temporarily canceled his visit to China on Thursday because of the landing of Chinese nationals on China's Diaoyu Islands the day before.

Phoenix TV reported on Thursday morning that Shinsuke Sugiyama, director-general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, had planned to visit Beijing to discuss details about the Tokyo-Pyongyang meeting planned for Aug 29 in the city.

Japanese Foreign Ministry officials said the cancel shows Japan's protest against the landing, Japanese media said. Japan also claims the islands.

Two Hong Kong Immigration Department officials arrived in Tokyo on Thursday morning to assist the activists, and a third Hong Kong official went to Japan, China Central Television reported.

The Hong Kong-based Action Committee for Defending the Diaoyu Islands landed 14 Chinese activists on the islands on Wednesday afternoon. Japanese officials later arrested them.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying on Wednesday asked Japan to "refrain from taking any action that could endanger the safety of the lives and property of Chinese citizens going to the Diaoyu Islands."

Fu Ying, the Chinese vice-minister of foreign affairs, demanded in a meeting with Japan's ambassador to China and in a phone call with a Japanese official that Japan immediately release the activists.

Fu also "made solemn representations on Japan's unlawful detention of Chinese nationals on the Diaoyu Islands", the Foreign Ministry said on its website.