Chinese ships sail near disputed Senkaku islands for record 112 days, Japan reacts

Chinese Coast Guard (CGC) vessels have made record 112 incursions in the Japanese territorial waters in the Senkaku Islands [known to China as Diaoyu Islands as both China and Taiwan claim sovereignty over the inhabited islands] approximately 170 kilometers from Ishigaki in Okinawa Prefecture, in the East China Sea. On Friday, at least four Haijing ships from the Chinese coast guard encroached the international maritime boundaries as it entered the Japanese-administered island chain, sailing in the disputed contiguous zone, Japanese coast guard told the state-run press.

Japan Coast Guard’s 11th regional headquarters in Naha said in a statement that the Chinese vessels encroached in the Japanese waters between April 14 and August 2 last year for a record 333 times as they sailed near the disputed islands, but in 2021 have bolstered their naval presence. A paper released by the Japanese defense had earlier last year highlighted that China has “relentlessly continued attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by coercion in the sea area around the Senkaku Islands” and that “Japan cannot accept China’s actions to escalate the situation.”

Lt. General Kevin Schneider, commander of US Forces Japan, had stated that “the United States is 100 percent, absolutely steadfast in its commitment to help the government of Japan with the situation in the Senkakus.” 

Japan had repeatedly accused China of aggravating bilateral tensions by military expansionist agenda in East China seas as the China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels routinely violated the maritime protocols by entering beyond 12 nautical miles (nm) and 24 nm of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. According to Article 33 of the UN Convention of the Law of Sea, ratified by both China and Japan, the contiguous zone allows a coastal State to (a) “prevent infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary laws and regulations within its territorial sea” and (b) “punish infringement of the above laws and regulations committed within its territory or territorial sea.” 

China challenges 'administrative control' of Japan

China’s attempt to flare tensions can be seen as challenging the administrative control of Japan on the territory after it purchased three islands in September 2012. Since then the CGC has maintained regular maritime presence via encroachment, as Japan raised sovereignty dispute. China, under its new law, authorized its coast guard to fire on foreign vessels in the disputed South and the East China Sea that involve the smaller island nations competing for maritime claims. National People’s Congress standing committee in Beijing passed a law on January 22 that allows the CGC vessels to be weaponized and use coercion as the law prescribes “all necessary means” to deter “foreign vessels”.