Comments by Tokyo 'are creating antagonism'

The Japanese government's comments about China's oil and gas development in the East China Sea were made to attract domestic support for new security bills, which face mounting opposition, according to observers.

The comments were made a day after Beijing warned that Tokyo's accusation leveled against legal development work by China in the East China Sea was deliberately creating antagonism.

On Wednesday, Japan released 14 photographs of Chinese offshore platforms on its Foreign Ministry website as "evidence" of China's "unilateral" gas field development near the "median line" between the Chinese and Japanese shores.