China Coast Guard vessels have been passing by Japanese-claimed waters for weeks in the East China Sea and China’s warships have been edging near Japan’s southwestern islands over the past few days, Japanese officials said.
A fleet of four China Coast Guard vessels on Thursday passed just outside of the territorial waters of Japan-controlled islands, which Beijing and Taiwan also claim, for the 49th day in a row, the Japan Coast Guard said.
It said it warned China’s vessels against further approaching the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台群島) — known as the Senkakus in Japan.
Photo: AP
The China Coast Guard on Tuesday acknowledged that it was patrolling waters off the Diaoyutais.
China routinely sends coast guard vessels and planes into waters and airspace surrounding the islands to harass Japanese vessels in the area and force Japan to scramble jets in response.
Japan Coast Guard Commandant Shohei Ishii last month said that Chinese activity in infiltrating Japanese territorial waters is in breach of international law, and that the “situation is extremely serious and is unpredictable.”
Tokyo in recent years has significantly reinforced defense of southwestern Japan, including Okinawa and its outer islands that are considered strategically key to Japanese defense in the face of China’s growing assertiveness and tension around Taiwan.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense this week said that it had repeatedly spotted Chinese warships off the coast of Okinawa since last week.
On Thursday last week, a Chinese guided missile destroyer and frigate crossed the waters between Okinawa and the Miyako islands as they moved south, prompting Japan to deploy a warship and a reconnaissance aircraft.
On Saturday, a reconnaissance ship passed the area to the north. Then, on Sunday, the Chinese reconnaissance ship showed up in the waters again, the ministry said.
On Monday, the guided missile destroyer and the frigate were spotted crossing the waters between Okinawa and Miyako, the ministry said.
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The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
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