U.S. Urges All Parties Not to Raise Tensions in East Asia

Washington, April 23 (Jiji Press)--The United States demanded Tuesday all East Asian countries exercise restraint in order to keep the region stable. "We do urge all parties to avoid actions that could raise tensions or result in miscalculations that would undermine peace, security, and economic growth in that vital part of the world," State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said at a press conference. The comment followed eight China Marine Surveillance ships' entry into Japanese waters near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea on Tuesday, the most massive territorial intrusion by Chinese government ships since the Japanese government's nationalization of three of the five Senkaku islands in September last year. "I'm not sure there's been any development overnight, but we do believe that good relations between Japan and China benefit everyone in the region," Ventrell said. He also repeated a call for Japan and South Korea to overcome their differences through dialogue, referring to the situation in which South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung Se has canceled his planned visit to Japan in protest against visits over the weekend by some Japanese cabinet ministers including Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which is regarded as a symbol of Japan's past military aggression by its Asian neighbors. END