TOKYO: Ships from Japan's and China's coast guards faced off near disputed islands Tuesday (Jul 7), with each claiming they drove out the other's vessels that had intruded into their territorial waters.The incident occurred near uninhabited islands claimed as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China, which sit between Taiwan and Okinawa and have caused diplomatic tensions for decades.Japan's coast guard said it expelled two Chinese ships as they approached a Japanese fishing vessel sailing in the area.China's coast guard said separately that it drove out a Japanese fishing boat that "intruded into" waters around the islands. Relations between Japan and China have worsened since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi angered Beijing in November with comments about Taiwan.Chinese ships l