N Korea appears to side with China in territorial row with Japan

North Korea's state media outlets have carried stories focusing on China's stance in an increasingly bitter territorial dispute between Beijing and Tokyo, and appears to be taking sides with China. Tension between China and Japan over the islands in the East China Sea, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, has flared up since Japan moved to nationalize the islands, with anti-Japanese protests spreading across China, according to (Yonhap) news agency. Early Wednesday, the North's state news broadcaster, Korean Central Television, reported the Foreign Affairs Committee of China's National People's Congress, Beijing's top legislative body, had issued a statement condemning Japan's "dangerous" move to buy the islands. Last week, the North's ruling party newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, also reported remarks by Chinese President Hu Jintao on the sidelines of the recent APEC summit in Russia, when he warned that Japan should realize "the severity of the situation and not make a wrong decision" with regard to the islands. Since Sept. 7, the North's media outlets have reported China's stance on the territorial dispute without mentioning Japan's position, according to reports by North Korean newspapers and broadcasters monitored here.