Japan to Pursue Drilling in Disputed Area

The Japanese government said today that it would begin accepting bids from deep-sea drilling companies to search for natural gas in a contested area of the East China Sea, a move that heightens tensions with Beijing.

China has also been exploring the resource-rich sea zone in recent months. Both countries claim a portion of the undersea natural gas field and have made little progress in negotiations for a formula to share the wealth.

Japan has accused China of surreptitiously drilling into the portion of the field Japan claims, and warned last week that it would not hold off on exploratory drilling of its own. The process of sifting applications is expected to take two or three months.

Although not unexpected, Japan’s announcement seems likely to inflame nationalist fury in both countries. The nations are already engaged in a dispute over clashing versions of the bloody history between them, which led to riots targeting Japanese property in China last weekend.

That has since escalated into angry exchanges between their leaders, with China threatening to scuttle Japan’s bid to join it on the U.N. Security Council.

“Only a country that respects history, takes responsibility for past history and wins over the trust of people in Asia and the world at large can take greater responsibility in the international community,” Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said at a news conference Tuesday in India.

But Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi blamed Chinese authorities for failing to stop the anti-Japanese violence, saying that “the Chinese side has the responsibility to ensure the safety of Japanese people.” His government also restated its demand that China apologize for the attacks on Japanese-owned businesses and Tokyo’s embassy in Beijing.

Wen said China would not apologize.

Japan’s foreign minister, Nobutaka Machimura, planned to travel to Beijing on Sunday for talks with Li Zhaoxing, his Chinese counterpart. Japanese media reported today that Machimura would seek to establish a joint panel of historians to try to reach a consensus on differences over such events as the infamous 1937 Nanking Massacre.

It is widely accepted that tens of thousands of Chinese civilians were killed by Japanese troops, but some Japanese historians dispute the point.