Aerial view of the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, a territory under dispute between Japan and China for decades. (Image via Los Angeles Times)

Japan protests to China over ship entering Japanese waters

Since two Chinese coast guard ships entered Japan's territorial waters on Sunday morning and they refused to move out, Japan lodged protests to China on Tuesday.

The coast guard ships were approaching a Japanese fishing boat carrying three crews and remained there despite the calls from the Japanese side to leave. It is not uncommon since the Chinese coast guard routinely violates the Japanese-controlled southern islands of Senkaku, which China also claims and calls it Diaoyu. While the Japanese fishing boat had been secured safely, the three crews refused to give the details.

On Tuesday, the Chief Cabinet Secretary, Katsunobu Kato, regretted the fact that the two Chinese coast guard ships persisted in the Japanese waters. Therefore, Kato strictly protested to China and demanded the ships to sail away from the Japanese waters. If the ships persisted still, Kato stated that Japan would defend its territory with a sense of urgency.

On the other hand, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, asserted on Monday that the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands are within China's inherent territory. Therefore, Lijian said that it is reasonable that China upholds the law enforcement patrol and Japan should respect it.

Since the late 1980s, Japan has the rights of the islands under international law. Even in the 1930s and 1940s, the territory was heated by the conflict between the two neighboring countries. However, Beijing started claiming ownership in the 1970s when possible undersea oil deposits were reported there. Furthermore, Japan sees China's growing assertiveness in the East and South China seas as a major security threat.

Source: https://bit.ly/36ZV1tr