Japan okays drilling in disputed area of E. China Sea

Japan approved a request July 14 by Teikoku Oil Co. Ltd. to drill for natural gas in the East China Sea along a disputed sea border with China, prompting Beijing to warn about the possibility of worsening ties.

“We decided to give the rights as the firm’s application suited Japan’s national interests, international conventions, as well as domestic law,” Economy, Trade, and Industry Minister Shoichi Nakagawa told a press conference in Tokyo.