China has apologised for the beating of two Japanese journalists who were detained near the site of yesterday's bomb attack in Kashgar.
The journalists, a reporter and a photographer, said they were detained by border police for two hours and were punched and held to the ground.
It is reported officials and police in Kashgar also apologised for the incident, but accused the two men of breaking rules.
The incident has put the focus on Beijing's commitment to allow foreign media freedom in the run up to the Games.
Following the Kasgar attack China stepped up security across the northwestern Xinjiang region and arrested 18 'foreign agitators'.
Authorities have also stepped up the police presence at roads into the city, and ordered extra security in public places including government office buildings, schools and hospitals.
The raised alert even extended to the Xinjiang capital of Urumqi, more than 1,000km from Kashgar.
Police are reportedly using portable identification devices in an effort to track down blacklisted people.
In the attack, two men from Xinjiang's ethnic Uighur group drove a truck at policemen outside their barracks in Kashgar city, then assaulted them with knives, according to the official version in China's state-run press.
