Japan’s Coast Guard said two Chinese Coast Guard ships moved the waters near the uninhabited islands at 4:15 a.m. local time, joining the group of two other ships that appeared there on February 15, according to the Japan Times. .
Notably, of the two new Chinese maritime vessels that appeared on February 16, one armed with a weapon “similar to artillery” approached a Japanese fishing vessel that was being patrolled by Coast Guard patrol boats. Japan protected.
The Japanese Coast Guard repeatedly warned, asking Chinese ships to leave the area and, as of 10:02 a.m., four Chinese Coast Guard ships withdrew from there, according to the Japanese government’s announcement.
In a press release on February 16, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Katsunobu Kato, denounced the move by Chinese seagoing vessels as “completely unacceptable.”
“Activities like this violate international law,” Kato said, adding that the Japanese government had opposed the Chinese side through diplomatic channels in both the capital Tokyo and Beijing.
Recently, the Japanese Coast Guard has increased the mobilization of patrol boats to protect fishing vessels in the East China Sea. The Japanese Coast Guard is subject to strict regulations on the use of weapons and is prohibited by law from conducting military activities.
Japan proposed a record military budget of $ 52 billion
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Meanwhile, China’s new law came into effect on February 1, allowing the seascape to use “all necessary measures” against foreign ships. Most worryingly, the Chinese coast is authorized to drive away ships from other countries, even to use weapons against ships from other countries in areas that Beijing voluntarily claims.
On June 6, Chinese maritime vessels also moved into Japanese territorial waters near the disputed Senkaku / Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea.
