Taiwan has sent a fleet of boats into the East China Sea, adding to the tension surrounding a group of islands which have already sparked a diplomatic stand-off between China and Japan. This footage shows Japanese Coast Guard vessels retaliating by firing water cannons to turn away the Taiwanese boats.

Taiwan is also embroiled in a lengthy dispute with Japan over fishing rights in the disputed rocky islands area. In a hastily assembled press conference, a Japanese government official explained the evasive actions to get the Taiwan ships to change course. He said:

"We have once again filed protests to Taiwan. In terms of security around the Senkaku islands, we intend to stay fully on guard and have all related departments, gathering information to deal with any and all situations that may arise."

Japan's purchase of the islands from a private owner has already been condemned in Beijing and attracted widespread protests. This situation is yet to be resolved with various high level diplomatic meetings pencilled in try and resolve the situation.

Written and presented by Ann Salter.