Balloon attempt to land on disputed islands goes wrong

A Chinese man’s attempt to land a hot-air balloon on disputed islands in the East China sea failed, forcing him to call for help from Japan’s Coast Guard. The 35-year-old took off from Fujian province Wednesday morning, aiming to land on the Tokyo-controlled islands– Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese. A Japanese rescue helicopter found the balloon 22 kilometers south of the islands. The man was handed over to a Chinese patrol ship outside territorial waters. Chinese and Taiwanese activists have tried to land on the islands by ship several times but were blocked by the Japanese coastguard. Tensions between the two countries over disputed maritime territories rose in recent years, with Chinese ships approaching the islands to demonstrate Beijing’s territorial claims. Japan meanwhile nationalized some of the islands in September 2012.

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