More than 150 people which included the Japanese Lawmakers and nationalist campaigners were preparing on August 18, 2012 to sail to the islands at the centre of a row with China. It is expected that up to 20 boats were expected to sail from the far south west island.
The entire group will be sailing on Saturday evening which is a day after Japan deported 14 pro-Beijing activists who sailed to the disputed islands from Hong Kong. The organizers have refused to take permission from the government to land on any of the islands known as the Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, but are still free to sail near them.
