It was reported that Chinese coast guard vessels have been seen around the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea for 158 days.
Tokyo
In a statement, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa reacted to the navigation of Chinese coast guard vessels around the disputed Senkaku Islands.
Noting that 4 Chinese coast guard vessels were re-detected yesterday around the islands and outside Japanese territorial waters, Hayashi expressed his concerns about the issue.
Stating that Chinese ships have been seen in the contiguous area around the islands for 158 consecutive days, the longest period after 2012, Hayashi said that his country takes the mobility in question very seriously, that they are “watching the situation with tension and will respond calmly and decisively”.
“We are monitoring with a high sense of urgency and meticulously”
According to the 11th District Coast Guard Headquarters in Naha, Okinawa, China’s ships have been in the region for 158 days since the end of December 2023.
“We are meticulously monitoring the movements of Chinese coast guard vessels with a high sense of urgency and meticulousness so as not to miss even the slightest change,” the statement said.
A similar statement was made in 2021. The last time Chinese vessels were “detected in the region repeatedly” was recorded in July 2021 with 157 days.
On the other hand, Japan’s Defense Ministry announced in its statement that China’s military “Wing Loong-10” type drone was detected near the Okinawa region.
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio conveyed his country’s concerns about China’s quest for influence in the region to Chinese Premier Li Chiang, whom he met in Seoul over the weekend.
Disputed islands
The archipelagos, which Japan calls “Senkaku” and China calls “Diaoyü”, are located in the East China Sea off the east coast of China and the southwest coast of Japan.
Consisting of 5 islands and 3 reefs, the region, which is owned by Japan and claimed by China and on which no one lives, has been causing sovereignty disputes for a long time.
