Japan yesterday said that it would respond firmly after Chinese government vessels had intruded into what Tokyo considers its territorial waters near disputed islands in the East China Sea 14 times at the weekend, stoking bilateral tensions.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Tokyo would continue to urge China not to escalate the East China Sea dispute, while also responding firmly and calmly.
Suga told a news conference that a total of 14 Chinese coast guard vessels had entered “contiguous waters,” which can be policed for customs and immigration violations, in recent days and intruded into what Japan considers its territorial waters 14 times.
A Japan Coast Guard spokesman, who asked not to be identified, citing government policy, said this was a record.
The operations by Chinese vessels amounted to the biggest show of strength since 2013, when eight ships entered Japan-administered waters.
Twelve Chinese vessels remained yesterday, Suga said, adding that agencies, including the Japan Coast Guard, would act together closely to deal with the situation, Suga said.
A Japanese government source, who asked not to be identified, said the Japan Coast Guard had stepped up its patrols in the region over the weekend, but declined to give further details.
Chinese activity near the islands, known as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) in Taiwan, the Diaoyu Archipelago (釣魚群島) in China and the Senkakus in Japan, has heated up since Friday, prompting repeated Japanese protests, including three on Sunday alone.
About 230 Chinese fishing vessels were also in the area on Saturday, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The incidents come amid heightened tensions after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague invalidated China’s sweeping claims in the disputed South China Sea less than a month ago, in a case brought by the Philippines.
Japanese Minister of Defense Tomomi Inada yesterday echoed Suga, saying Japan’s military would conduct air patrols to provide information to the coast guard.
The Nikkei Shimbun said officials also protested what Japan said was the installation of a military-grade radar on a gas platform near the median line between the two nations in the area.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
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