Japan accuses Chinese PLAN ships of incursion near disputed Senkaku islands

Japan on Friday claimed that at least two Chinese ships intruded into its territorial waters near the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea known as Diaoyudao Islands to China. The Chinese vessels encroached on the Japanese waters as they followed two Japanese fishing boats patrolling the region's resources. People's Liberation Army Navy [PLAN] ships and two other Chinese vessels entered the territorial waters off Taisho Island between 4:20 a.m. and 4:50 a.m. on Friday, said the Japanese Coast Guard in a statement. The Chinese vessels have long been sailing in the Japanese contiguous zone just outside the sovereign territorial waters, the coast guard added, according to NHK. 

Chinese PLAN vessels sail one to five kilometres from Japanese fishing boats

The two Chinese ships were spotted sailing just one to five kilometres from the Japanese fishing boats that were on their way approximately 16 kilometres southwest of Taisho Island. Japanese coast guard scrambled patrol vessels to chase off the Chinese vessels and to ensure the safety of the fishing boats. Contentious Senkaku Islands are claimed by both Japan and China and the dispute between the two WWII rivals worsened in 2012 after the Japanese government bought three of the five islands from the private owner. Japanese officials have since reported an increase in the Chinese military's maritime and aerial activities in the region. Earlier, Takehiro Funakoshi, head of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at Japan’s Foreign Ministry, logged concerns about repeated incursions made by Chinese ships into Japanese sovereign waters and its exclusive economic zone [EEZ] "illegally." 

Last month, a Chinese naval helicopter encroached on Japan's airspace, as it flew near the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the East China Sea. The helicopter was approaching a Japanese research ship, NHK reported. The Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida-led government slammed the Chinese PLA incursion in its official response to the incident. Kishida administration called the act of violating Japan's sovereign territory "regrettable." Japanese government urged Beijing through a diplomatic channel to prevent any similar occurrences in the future. Meanwhile, the Chinese Coast Guard defended the move, saying that the PLA was conducting routine patrols in accordance with protocols to instate maritime rights protection and law enforcement in the area that the Chinese CPC considers its jurisdiction. Beijing, in turn, called on the Japanese side to stop what it described as the "illegal activities" near Senkaku Islands known as the Diaoyus by China, and prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.