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Japan investigating China collision video

Ties between Asia's two biggest economies have chilled since September, when Japan detained the Chinese skipper of the boat which crashed into its ships near disputed isles in the East China Sea.

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Japan on Friday was investigating whether online video clips that appeared to show a Chinese fishing boat colliding with Japanese patrol vessels were authentic, a development that could snarl efforts to mend ties.                                           
 
Ties between Asia's two biggest economies have chilled since September, when Japan detained the Chinese skipper of the boat which crashed into its ships near disputed isles in the East China Sea, the site of vast potential gas and oil reserves.                   
 
The video is yet another headache for Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan's struggling administration in that it could, if genuine, harden Japanese public opinion against China by appearing to show the Chinese captain was at fault, and raises doubts about the government's handling of confidential data.                         

Embattled Kan has faced heavy criticism domestically for freeing the captain and tensions remain high, clouding the prospects for bilateral talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao at a November 13-14 Asia-Pacific leadership summit.                                           
 
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit this week to a disputed island north of Japan has also chilled Japan-Russia relations, and added to Kan's list of problems.                                           
 
"We need to look into the authenticity of such clips," chief cabinet secretary Yoshito Sengoku told a news conference.                
 
Japanese TV news programmes also aired the video clips, which showed a blue boat bearing a Chinese name colliding with two patrol boats as sirens blared and Japanese crew shouted "halt". 
 
"Generally speaking, if documents in a criminal suit have been released on YouTube and to the public, then that is a ... grave situation for investigation authorities," he added.                         

Japanese prosecutors released the captain but are still technically investigating whether to charge him.                        

Sengoku said China had inquired about the videos through a diplomatic route, and added that he hoped Kan and Hu would meet bilaterally at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Yokohama, near Tokyo, next weekend.

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