In mid-September, thousands of Chinese protested Japan's ownership of a disputed island chain in the East China Sea. Known as the Senkakus in Japan and Diaoyu in China, Japan "nationalized" these potentially gas-rich islands on Sept. 11, sparking a wave of Chinese furor and heightening tensions between the two nations. Above, Chinese stage an anti-Japan rally outside the Japanese Embassy on Sept. 16 in Beijing, China. These pictures were taken with the Hipstamatic iPhone application.
Above, a protester carries a sign during a march on Sept. 16 in Beijing that says in part, "Boycott Japanese goods, apart from women."
During a visit to Tokyo on Sept. 17, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Pannetta stated that the United States would not take sides in this dispute, but confimed that the Japan-U.S. security and defense treaty covered the Senkaku islands. Before embarking on his trip, Panetta told , "What we've urged both China and Japan to do is to resolve these disputes as peacefully as possible as well, and that will be one of the things I will urge Japan to do." Above, protesters wave flags on Sept. 15 in Beijing.
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Tension over the Senkaku islands has been simmering over the last month or so, with activists on both sides fighting to plant their flags on the disputed territory. Here, protestors carry the Chinese flag as they march in a Sept.16 demonstraiton in Beijing.
Protests have spread throughout many major cities across China in the past week, including Shanghai, Shenzhen, Shenyang, Hangzhou, Harbin, Qingdao, and Hong Kong. Above, security forces stand by during a demonstration on Sept.15 in Beijing.
The Japanese embassy in Beijing has tightened security in an attempt to stave off violence during a week of increasingly turbulent protests over the disputed Senkaku islands. Here, protesters climb a tree outside the embassy on Sept. 15; the banner reads "Devils, get out of the Diaoyu Islands."
Japanese media have reported that rioters have damaged Japanese supermarkets and other businesses. Above, protesters march behind a police guard on Sept. 16 in Beijing.
The Chinese government has submitted maps to the United Nations for review to demonstrate their claim to the islands, pairing their U.N. bid with threats to "chase off" Japanese vessels patrolling the islands. Above, protesters stage an anti-Japan rally on Sept. 15 in Beijing.
A protester drapes himself in the Chinese flag at the rally on Sept. 15.
Protesters have called for a boycott of Japanese goods. A man holds up a large picture of Mao; next to him another protester carries a Japanese flag covered in the logos of Japanese brands with a large X through it during a Sept. 16 Beijing protest.
Protesters carry a banner that says "Defend China's indigenous territory" on Sept. 16. in Beijing.
