The ruling party on Thursday held a joint meeting of its Foreign Affairs Division and other groups, during which many participants urged the government to counter a statement by Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi concerning Chinese claims over the Senkaku Islands.
Dissatisfaction is mounting among Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers over China's latest territorial claim over the islands in Okinawa Prefecture.
During a Japan-China foreign ministerial meeting on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told his counterpart that Chinese government vessels should refrain from intruding into Japanese territorial waters around the islands.
Wang said at a joint press conference after the meeting that China has no other choice but to take necessary measures when Japanese fishing boats enter sensitive waters around the Diaoyu Islands, using the Chinese name for the Senkakus.
Many participants voiced concerns at Thursday's meeting, including that "Japan should have countered the statement" and that the lack of one "could be interpreted as tacit approval."
"The two ministers each gave a single statement at the joint press conference," Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters on the day. "Following Wang's statement, Japan told China that the content of the statement was not acceptable."
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