Japan's drilling plan heightens tensions

A day after China warned that a decision by Japan to allow gas exploration in the East China Sea would "fundamentally change the issue" between them, Japan has moved to allow drilling in the disputed waters. The move comes ahead of Japan's Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura's Beijing visit this weekend to mend Sino-Japanese relations, which have deteriorated as a result of Japan's characterization of World War 2 in school textbooks. Complicating matters is the role being played by India, which just signed a historic border dispute resolution with China, and where Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is due to visit on April 29 in what is being described by India as an "extremely important" state visit.