Japan awaits arrival of 'Chinese armada' as protests erupt in Beijing This is likely to include satellite observation as well as long-range surveillance aircraft operating out of bases in Okinawa Prefecture. Faced with 1,000 fishing boats - and possibly protected by the Chinese patrol ships - it is unclear what actions the Japanese Coast Guard will be able to take to halt the flotilla. There is also concern that a minor clash between the two sides could very quickly escalate. In Beijing, a crowd of around 1,000 protesters gathered outside the Japanese embassy as demonstrations moved into their eighth day. Holding up portraits of Chairman Mao, and chanting in unison, the protesters were marshalled by police into manageable groups, and sent marching down a track laid out with hard barriers. There was a heavy paramilitary police presence and a helicopter monitoring the situation from above. Carefully policed protests took place in several other Chinese cities. In Guangzhou, the Garden Hotel next to the Japanese consulate was taken over by the local police, but surrounded outside by protesters.