China: Coast guard ‘drove away’ Japanese boats near disputed islands
REUTERS/KYODO/FILE PHOTO
A group of disputed islands, Uotsuri island (top), Minamikojima (bottom) and Kitakojima, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, is seen in the East China Sea, in this photo taken by Kyodo, in September 2012.
BEIJING >> China’s coast guard said on Monday it took “necessary control measures” against and “drove away” four Japanese fishing vessels and several patrol boats which entered the “territorial waters” of Diaoyu Islands between June 20-24.
The waters around the islands are disputed and claimed by both China and Japan, which calls them the Senkaku Islands. The two sides have faced off in the waters, deploying patrol boats and urging the other to leave the area. “We urge Japan to immediately cease all illegal activities in the area and ensure similar incidents do not recur,” a spokesperson from China’s coastguard said in a statement.
