Japan is eyeing India as an "indispensable partner" in its bid to counter China's increasing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea. Tokyo has urged New Delhi officials to make a stand and speak on the maritime territorial dispute. 

A Times of India report published on Monday quoted Yuki Tamura, deputy director of Japan's foreign ministry's regional policy division, saying that Tokyo is pushing India to speak up on the matter because "maritime security is important."

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"We are encouraging India to speak up on issues related to the South China Sea because maritime security is important," he said.

Senkaku Islands

China has repeatedly declared that disputes in the South China Sea region should be resolved among the claimant countries without interference from outsiders.

Japan claims that Chinese vessels have been sailing in its territorial waters near Tokyo's Senkaku Islands. Tokyo protested to Beijing in August after the Chinese Coast Guard and the more than 200 Chinese vessels entered Japanese waters in the East China Sea.

Japan has expressed concern that China's aggression in the South China Sea might spill over to the East China Sea prompting Tokyo to seek the support of other regional powers to stop China.

Deteriorating

"The situation surrounding the Japan-China relationship is markedly deteriorating," Japan Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida told Beijing's envoy Cheng Yonghua as he filed the diplomatic protest.

Analysts say Tokyo is hoping that India would make a strongly-worded statement on the South China Sea dispute as it recognizes the growing reputation of New Delhi as a regional power.

Japan believes that India's statement will have a strong impact on China and would prevent Beijing from taking aggressive actions not only in the South China Sea region but the East China Sea as well.

Concrete stance

Political observers have noted that India has not made any comment on the maritime dispute except in a joint statement with Japan recently that urged all parties not to use force to push for their respective claims in the region.

Analysts say that India might not be far from taking the stand that Tokyo wants but is still in the process of evaluating and assessing the repercussions of its action.

On July 12, an international arbitration court ruled that China has no legal basis for its historic claims to more than 80 percent of the South China Sea.

Target

The court also ruled that China violated international law and the Philippines' rights to explore their resources within its exclusive economic zone.

China rejected the ruling, dismissing it as "illegal" and "null and void."

Since the ruling, Chinese vessels have continued to move in the disputed region as well as in the East China Sea.

Japan has since pledged that it would join the United States in patrolling the South China Sea region invoking the freedom of navigation principle, angering Beijing.

China issued a warned that Japanese vessels would be a target once if Tokyo starts joint patrols with the United States. 

TagsJapan, India, South China Sea, china, Maritime Security, Senkaku Islands, East China Sea, arbitral court ruling