BEIJING: More than 100 protesters rallied Saturday near Tokyo`s embassy in Beijing, furious over Japan`s arrest of a Chinese fishing boat captain, a move that has sparked a major diplomatic row.

The demonstration began just metres (yards) from the embassy gate but when police blocked the road leading to the mission, the protesters marched through the area, home to numerous embassies, under heavy security.

They shouted "Free the captain", "Down with little Japan", "Give us back the Diaoyu islands" and "Remember September 18" -- a reference to Saturday`s anniversary of Japan`s invasion of Manchuria in 1931.

The subsequent occupation of a swathe of northern China and the atrocities committed by Japanese forces has cast a long shadow over relations between the two economic powerhouses, with frequent calls on Tokyo to apologise.

Beijing is furious about the trawlerman`s arrest near a disputed island chain in the East China Sea. Tokyo says he intentionally rammed two Japanese coastguard vessels during a high-seas chase on September 7.

The incident has sparked the worst tensions between the Asian neighbours in years, with Beijing summoning Tokyo`s ambassador five times in a week and scrapping scheduled talks over joint energy exploration in the East China Sea.

The uninhabited islands -- called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, and also claimed by Taiwan -- lie in an area with rich fishing grounds that is also believed to contain oil and gas deposits.

Tokyo had warned its citizens in China to remain vigilant ahead of possible anti-Japanese protests in Beijing and Shanghai.

A demonstration against the Japanese action was also being planned in Hong Kong later Saturday.

BDST: 1635 HRS, September 18, 2010