China on Friday urged the Japanese government to "face the reality" of current difficulties in China-Japan relations and "show its sincerity" to solve the problems, after Japan's hawkish Prime Minister Shinzo Abe rejected talks with Beijing over bilateral tension.
Abe on Friday accused China of deliberately targeting Japanese companies as part of a strategy to confront Japan over the territorial dispute between the two countries.
"It was wrong as a country responsible to the international community to (allow) damage to Japanese-affiliated companies and Japanese nationals in order to achieve a political goal," Abe told a press conference on Friday, according to the Kyodo News Agency.
The tension was triggered by Japan's attempt to "nationalize" the Diaoyu Islands in September.
Abe, at the same time, reiterated Japan's claim over the sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands (Japan's name for the Diaoyu Islands), saying it is "not negotiable" and vowing to "resolutely protect Japanese territory."
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a response that Japan has "unilaterally pushed Sino-Japanese relations into a difficult situation" and that the Japanese side should take the initiative to "show sincerity, face reality and work with China to properly resolve relevant problems."
Japanese local media reported on Friday that Japan's coast guard was planning to create a special fleet to focus on the Diaoyu Islands.
A special team of about 400 coast guard officers, together with a fleet of 12 cutters, will go into full-time operation to "provide greater security" around the uninhabited Diaoyu Islands until April 2015, the Asahi Shimbun reported.
On Friday, Japan's coast guard reported sighting four Chinese maritime surveillance ships near the waters off the Diaoyu Islands, and Japan's defense ministry scrambled at least one fighter jet to monitor a Chinese Y-12 surveillance plane flying in its Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), a day after Japan said it detected a number of Chinese military jets in the ADIZ.
Hong said the Chinese military planes were on "routine flights" in the international airspace over the East China Sea, and China "firmly opposes Japan's groundless moves to escalate the situation and create tensions."
China's Ministry of National Defense also said on Friday that the continuous harassment by Japanese military planes on routine patrols of Chinese maritime surveillance planes and daily training of Chinese military aircraft is the root cause of the security concerns.
In a statement published on its website, the defense ministry confirmed that China sent two J-10 fighters to the East China Sea after a Y-8 aircraft was closely tailed by two Japanese F-15 fighter jets as the Y-8 patrolled the southwest airspace of the East China Sea oil platform on Thursday.
Another Japanese reconnaissance plane was spotted in the same airspace, it said, adding that the Chinese military will stay highly vigilant on Japan's expanding reconnaissance and "disturbing" activities.
Abe, who won a second chance to lead Japan in December, will reportedly make his first overseas trips as prime minister to Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand on Wednesday.
"My visit to the ASEAN countries will be crucially important," Abe said, according to Kyodo. "Promoting ties between Japan and ASEAN countries will contribute to the region's stability."
Abe said he will take the trip as an opportunity to convey his foreign policy.
Agencies contributed to this story