Diaoyu Islands ad stirs tensions

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government fueled tensions between Japan and China as it took out an advertisement in Friday's Wall Street Journal seeking US support for its so-called purchase plan of the Diaoyu Islands.

Observers said the provocation suggests Japan is anxious to get the United States involved in a dispute with its neighbor.

According to Kyodo News, the advertisement took up two-thirds of a single page in the newspaper. "To the American People from Tokyo, Japan," the advertisement said. "It is with the hope of gaining the understanding and support of the American people for our purchase of the islands that we are running this issue advocacy ad today."