Chinese naval ship enters Japanese territorial waters
TOKYO » A Chinese intelligence ship entered Japan’s territorial waters early Wednesday morning, the first report of a Chinese navy vessel doing so in more than a decade.
A Japanese surveillance plane spotted the ship in waters west of Kuchinoerabu island before dawn, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshige Seko told reporters. It sailed out of Japan’s waters about 90 minutes later, he said.
A U.N. agreement allows what is known as “innocent passage” by foreign ships through another country’s waters, but Japan nonetheless expressed concern to China that this incident and other recent Chinese military activity is escalating tensions between the two countries.
China’s Defense Ministry said in a brief statement that the ship sailed through “a territorial strait open to international navigation” in accordance with freedom of navigation under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Japan reacted more harshly last week after a Chinese navy ship sailed near a group of remote islands that are administered by Japan but also claimed by China. Though the ship didn’t enter territorial waters around the islands, known as the Senkaku in Japanese and the Diaoyu in Chinese, the dispute makes the situation there much more charged.
The Chinese Defense Ministry responded that the islands are China’s inherent territory, and “it is rational and legal for Chinese warships to sail in waters under (Chinese) jurisdiction.”
The latest incident took place much closer to Japan’s main islands, in waters south of Kyushu. The only previous time Japan had reported a Chinese naval vessel in its territorial waters was a submarine detected in 2004.
9 responses to “Chinese naval ship enters Japanese territorial waters”
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The Chinese need to knock off this Mickey Mousing stuff right quick or they’re gonna create a situation where some people will end up dying for no good reason.
Keep on trading with China and you see what they get. The money China’s raking in from World Trade is supporting their man-made islands and military. lol.
As the whole world knows the entire Chinese military is rookie. From the top officer to newest recruit, none of them have any relevant, real world, combat experience.
Word is the Navy ship captain got lost, approached the nearest land mass to find out where they were, then skedaddled back towards home as fast as possible.
Expect more issues when you have rookie boys with shiny new toys to play with.
I take that as a sarcastic comment. That’s what the Chinese would want you to believe.
you know what. I suspect their Chinese made satellites, navigation equipment, ship hardware, etc. steered them into Japan’s water and thereby China not wanting to admit their homemade products are to blame.
…as he typed into his Chinese-made Apple iPhone….
Funny comment but China is scary and dangerous.
This is similar to the old Arab adage, once the camel sticks his nose into the tent, his body will soon follow.
The Japanese should return the favor. So called diplomatic protests do nothing. The ChiComs are laughing.
that’s what happens when the Chinese navy falls asleep in the morning meeting.