Japan lodges protest as Chinese patrol vessels enter waters near disputed Senkaku Islands

Japan has lodged a protest with Beijing after Chinese patrol vessels entered Japanese territorial seas close to the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, stated Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki. According to a Sputnik report, three Chinese coast guard vessels sailed into Japanese territorial seas near the disputed islands, known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan and Diaoyu Islands in China, between the time of 03:15 to 03:22 (local time) in the morning on September 28. 

Further, the ships made an attempt to get close to the Japanese fishing boats. As per Isozaki, the Chinese ships were ordered by the Japan Coast Guard to leave the country's territorial seas and keep a safe distance from the fishing boats. 

Speaking about the situation near the disputed islands in a press conference, he said, “Such activity of China Coast Guard's vessels is a violation of international law. In this regard, we lodged a strong protest through diplomatic channels and called for the immediate withdrawal of the ships," Sputnik reported. Isozaki further called the Chinese activity "unacceptable" and "extremely regrettable" that Chinese boats had appeared in the region. 

Chinese vessels entered Japanese territorial seas

It is pertinent to mention that the latest intrusion is considered to be the 27th occurrence of such kind since the year's commencement. Besides this, in the adjacent area, which is close to Japan's territorial seas, three more Chinese vessels were spotted sailing. As per the Japanese news agency Kyodo, two of them have autocannons. 

Meanwhile, in the month of May, two Chinese ships entered Japanese territorial waters near the contentious Senkaku islands, which are surrounded by Japanese territory but are also claimed by China. Sputnik reported that at approximately 7 a.m. (local time), Chinese ships arrived near Senkaku island. When the Chinese ships reached Japanese territorial waters, they were around 21 kilometers south-southeast of the island. Moreover, a nearby Japanese fishing boat was also approached by the Chinese ships. For the security of the Japanese fishing vessel, the Japanese authorities sent patrol ships to the region right away. 

Notably, the Senkaku Islands became the subject of expanded territorial claims for both China and Japan. China cites Japanese maps from 1783 and 1785 that show the islands as Chinese territory whereas Japan argues that its rule over the islands has been in place since 1895. The Senkaku Islands came under the American administration following World War II until being transferred to Japan in 1972. 

(Image: AP)