Several governments have joined Japan in criticising China's latest bid to carve out a zone of control in the East China Sea, including Australia summoning Beijing's ambassador to voice opposition over the move.
As administrations around the world began lining up against Beijing over its unilaterally-declared Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ), dismissing it as invalid, Japan called on its airlines to refuse China's demands that they obey new rules when entering the zone.
China's declaration of an air defence zone has sharply escalated tensions in the region.
The rules Beijing announced at the weekend mean China has effectively demanded control over the airspace above a swathe of the East China Sea criss-crossed by vital transport lanes.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) initially said that since Sunday it has been submitting flight plans to Chinese authorities for any plane that was due to pass through the area, which includes islands at the centre of a bitter territorial row between Tokyo and Beijing.
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Its affiliate Peach Aviation said it was doing the same "for now" and Japan Airlines said it was also complying with the rules.
But late Tuesday the Kyodo and Jiji news agencies reported that both All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines had reversed that decision. They gave no further details on the climbdown.
The zone covers the Tokyo-controlled Senkaku islands, which Beijing claims as the Diaoyus, where ships and aircraft from the two countries already shadow each other in a dangerous game of cat and mouse.
Australia said on Tuesday it had summoned the Chinese ambassador to convey its opinion that "the timing and the manner of China's announcement are unhelpful in light of current regional tensions, and will not contribute to regional stability".
"Australia has made clear its opposition to any coercive or unilateral actions to change the status quo in the East China Sea," said Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.
In response, China's foreign ministry said that "we hope Australia can understand correctly, and make joint efforts to maintain the security of flight in the relevant airspace".
UN leader Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday called on China and Japan to negotiate an end to mounting territorial tensions, a spokesman said.
While not being drawn on the China-Japan dispute over islands in the East China Sea, Ban said tensions should be handled "amicably through dialogue and negotiations."
"There are quite a number of territorial disputes in Northeast Asia and in the Asia Pacific region," the UN spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters when asked about the islands standoff at a briefing.
"The secretary general expects those disputes should be resolved amicably."
The United States came out forcefully in Tokyo's favour by affirming that the Senkakus fall under the US-Japan security treaty.
On Tuesday Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe huddled with his foreign and defence ministers, with his spokesman decrying China's attempt to alter the status quo in the region "forcibly and unilaterally".
"In cooperation with the international community, we are strongly urging the Chinese side to make a correction," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters.
Transport Minister Akihiro Ota insisted that the Chinese declaration was "not valid at all" and called on Japanese airlines to ignore it.
Under the rules, aircraft are expected to provide their flight plan, clearly mark their nationality, and maintain two-way radio communication.
The area also includes waters claimed by Taiwan and South Korea, which have also both registered their displeasure.
