Clinton urges cool heads in Japan-SKorea dispute

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia?? U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Sunday she believed Japan and South Korea were ready to tone down a row over a disputed island chain that has set two close U.S. allies at odds amid heightened regional tensions with China.

Clinton said she met Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak while attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Vladivostok and urged them to step back from confrontation.

"I raised these issues with both of them, urging that their interests really lie in making sure that they lower the temperature and work together in a concerted way to have a calm and restrained approach," Clinton told a news conference.

"I think that's being heard."

The Japan-South Korea dispute flared last month when Lee became the first South Korean leader to set foot on the islands claimed by both countries.

'Interwoven interests': China, US divided on Syria, sea spat, but vow goodwill

Lee's visit and his call for Emperor Akihito to go beyond expressing "deepest regrets" for Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule triggered a diplomatic tit-for-tat feud, and a rare veiled threat from Japan to flex its economic muscle.

Regional tensions
The dispute between Japan and South Korea over the islands known as Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan has coincided with a standoff between Japan and China over another island chain that sparked anti-Japanese protests in China last month.

Much at stake for US as tensions rise in troubled China Seas

Noda, accused by the opposition at home of being too soft on territorial disputes, has walked a fine line, fending off criticism while trying to keep the disputes from spinning out of control.

Last month he described South Korea's control of the disputed islands as "illegal occupation" - which drew condemnation from Seoul - but also urged a diplomatic solution to the feud.

1. Only on NBCNews.com

   1. Biden to press: 'Fact check me'
   2. Paul Ryan holes up in Oregon for VP debate prep
   3. Mars rover snaps its own profile picture
   4. NYC tornado caught on camera
   5. CEO says 'stupid' consumers deserve hefty fees
   6. Arab Spring is dead ? and Syria writes its obituary
   7. Sex assault victim wants apology from judge

Tension with China has also risen over the long-running claims to another set of islands, known as the Diaoyu in China and the Senkaku in Japan.

In August, Japan's coast guard detained and deported Chinese activists who sailed from Hong Kong and landed on the islets.

Japanese nationalists land on island claimed by China

The islands are controlled by Japan and owned by a Japanese family.

China is angry about a plan by Noda's government to buy the islands, which are near potentially huge maritime gas fields. Noda decided on the purchase after the governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara, a harsh critic of China, proposed his own plan to buy the islands.

Ahead of the APEC summit and a trip by Clinton to Beijing, China warned the United States not to get involved in territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48959089/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/

santorum new hampshire debate rupaul meet the press steelers vs broncos chris herren jay z