Reported by Keishi Koja of Stripes.com
Japan issued its third protest against China in less than two weeks after Chinese coast guard vessels trespassed into Japanese waters near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
According to a Japan coast guard news release, four Chinese vessels crossed Japan’s 12-mile territorial limit around the Senkaku Islands between 4 p.m. and 4:06 p.m. on Friday.
The Japanese Foreign Affairs Ministry lodged complaints with the Chinese Embassy in Japan and with the Chinese government in Beijing in response to the incident.
Government officials in Japan, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that two Chinese vessels approached Taisho Island while the other two entered the area around Uotsuri Island.
The Chinese vessels were reportedly armed with deck-mounted machine guns and were met by Japanese coast guard ships. The Japanese coast guard warned the Chinese vessels to leave the area using radio and electronic message boards.
All four Chinese vessels left Japanese waters without incident by 6:01 p.m.
This incident marked the 32nd and 33rd times this year that Chinese coast guard vessels intruded into Japan’s territorial waters around the Senkakus.
The Senkaku Islands, also claimed by China and Taiwan, are located 105 miles east of Taiwan.
These incidents followed the intrusion of a Chinese military aircraft and survey vessel into Japanese airspace and territorial waters in late August.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel expressed concerns about China’s actions, questioning their intent in recent territorial violations.
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