Japan and China have established a military hotline to prevent clashes in the East China Sea over competing territorial claims. The confidential communications line will connect the Self-Defense Forces of Japan and Chinese defense ministry officials. It will be used to build trust between the two countries and respond to unforeseen circumstances. The announcement came ahead of Japan’s Foreign Minister’s visit to Beijing for talks on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of shared interest. Disputed islands in the East China Sea have long been a source of friction between the two countries. Japan has protested against China’s repeated intrusions in the Senkaku Islands, which are under Japanese control but claimed by China as the Diaoyu Islands. Japan had also accused China Coast Guard ships of approaching a Japanese commercial ship and fishing boats, but Beijing denied the claim. Japan’s Prime Minister has accused China of escalating tensions in the South China Sea and threatening Japan’s sovereignty in the East China Sea. Beijing has claimed that Japan’s tendency to return to the path of militarization is very dangerous.