Going Fishing: Wait aren't those the Senkaku islands?

When you arrive in a new country as a foreign correspondent, the first thing you try to do is figure out how that country works.

Take for example the little trip I recently took out in to the East China Sea.

The objective was the Senkaku Islands, as they are known here in Japan. If you live in China they are the Diaoyu. I'm just going to call them "The Islands".

As you may have heard "The Islands" are currently the subject of a very acrimonious dispute between Japan and China over who owns them.

But before we could set off we had to undergo an inspection by the Japanese coastguard, and this is where things started to get interesting.

Then came a question I was not expecting.
"What is the purpose of your trip?" The senior officer asked me.
I hesitated, wondering whether I was really expected to lie.
"We're… um… going… fishing!" I said.
The officers looked pleased and nodded sagely. "Fishing, yes, good, good."

After eight hours of sailing we approached the islands under cover of darkness. On the radio the Japanese coastguard was calling our captain.

"We are preparing to come aboard," they announced.

Our captain and his two crew now immediately sprang in to action, pulling out fishing-rods and reels and setting them up on the back of the boat.

"We need to look like we're fishing," they giggled.