4 Chinese vessels enter Japanese seas near disputed Senkaku Islands: Report

Four Chinese ships reportedly entered Japanese territorial waters near the uninhabited Senkaku Islands on Friday, November 19. This has been the 37th time Chinese patrol vessels entered Japanese territorial seas, Sputnik reported, quoting Kyodo News. China claims the Japanese ruled Senkaku Islands as its own and calls them Diaoyu. 

Additionally, Sputnik reported, citing Kyodo News, that Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi voiced alarms, on November 18, over the continuous entry of Chinese ships into Japanese seas near the disputed territory. Japan has maintained authority over the islands since 1895. Beijing, on the other hand, citing Japanese maps from 1783 and 1785, claims the island to be a part of Chinese territory.

Japan expresses concerns during virtual discussion with Chinese official

Japan had previously expressed concerns about Chinese intrusion in the area during a virtual discussion with a Chinese official. 

News agency ANI, quoting Kyodo News, reported that Takehiro Funakoshi, chief of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, raised concerns about the persistent entrance of Chinese vessels into Japanese seas during a virtual conference with Hong Liang, director-general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs. 

Funakoshi went on to say that Chinese vessels have regularly entered Japanese waters near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. He asked the Chinese envoy to maintain self-discipline on Beijing's part.

On the other hand, during the virtual conference, Hong Liang urged the Japanese government to refrain from adopting any actions that might "complicate the situation." 

As per ANI, Funakoshi and Hong had agreed to communicate on the "constructive and sustainable" bilateral connections. Both parties had agreed to establish an emergency hotline among Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the Chinese People's Liberation Army at the meeting. 

According to the Associated Press, in the month of September, the Japanese Defense Ministry had announced that a submarine suspected of being Chinese had been discovered near a southern Japanese island. The growing Chinese military activity in the East China Sea has alarmed the Japanese side. 

(Image: AP/Representative)