Japan, Territorial Dispute | featured news

A group of Japanese activists swam ashore and raised flags early Sunday on one of a group of islands at the center of an escalating territorial dispute with China.

Japan on Friday sent home the first group of Chinese activists detained after landing on an island claimed by both Tokyo and Beijing, a move China welcomed but at the same time warned its neighbor against any further escalation in tension.

A South Korean official says the country's president has visited islets that Japan claims as its own. The move likely will deepen animosity between the rivals.