Japan and China: tensions escalate; in a reportedly related incident, noodle soup is thrown

China and Japan relations reached a new low Friday on with a naval stand-off, The New York Times reported.

Tensions between the two nations began to escalate when Tokyo announced that the government was buying three of the disputed Senkaku islands from private Japanese owners.

GlobalPost has already reported on the purchase of the islands, warning of the diplomatic fallout that it was sure to cause.

China responded in anger over the purchase Friday, sending six patrol ships to the islands, which were pushed out of territorial waters by the Japanese coast guard.

More from GlobalPost: Did Japan just 'buy' the Senkakus?

According to the Associated Press, the confrontation was made to look on Chinese television like the Chinese captains had demanded the Japanese leave.

The stand-off ended without incident, but it highlights the growing animosity between the two nations over the rocky, uninhabited islands that sit exactly halfway between both countries.

The Chinese call them the Diaoyu Islands.

More bizarre incidents between Japan and China occured this week.

The newly appointed Japanese ambassador to China fell ill just two days into his stay, said CNN.

Officials said he had a "health condition" but no more details were given, according to CNN.

Oh and the noodle soup thing … a Japanese man had a bowl of noodle soup thrown in his face while visiting a Shanghai restaurant this week, The New York Times reported, citing a report by Japan's Kyodo news agency.

Apparently, the perpetrator was angry about the island dispute.

There have also been reports of people burning Japanese-made cars in China, said the New York Times.