Two Chinese coast guard vessels stayed in Japanese territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands for almost 2-1/2 days straight -- a record length of time -- this month, stoking concerns in the Japanese government that Beijing could be resuming provocations in the area after a lull during the month Yoshihide Suga became Japan's new prime minister.
The two Chinese government ships stayed in the waters for 57 hours 39 minutes during a span that started Sunday morning and ended Tuesday. This was the longest such incursion since the Japanese government nationalized the islands in Okinawa Prefecture in 2012. By contrast, Chinese ships did not enter these waters even once in September, when Suga replaced Shinzo Abe as prime minister.
According to the Japan Coast Guard's 11th regional headquarters in Naha, three Chinese government vessels were detected in the contiguous zone surrounding the territorial waters. At about 10:47 or 10:48 a.m., two of these vessels entered the territorial waters around Taisho island and attempted to approach a Japanese fishing boat. The Chinese ships contacted the Japanese boat by radio, asserted Beijing had sovereignty over the waters and ordered the fishing vessel to leave the area.
A JCG patrol boat came between the ships and ordered the Chinese vessels to depart. However, the Chinese ships ignored this order and relentlessly chased the Japanese fishing boat. The Chinese ships eventually sailed away from the waters at about 8:26 p.m. Tuesday, at about the time the Japanese ship left the area after completing its catch.
The previous longest intrusion by Chinese ships into Japanese territorial waters was 39 hours 23 minutes in July. The Foreign Ministry lodged three complaints through the Chinese Embassy from Sunday through Tuesday.
In recent years, Chinese ships have frequently sailed through waters around the Senkaku Islands. According to the JCG's 11th regional headquarters, Chinese vessels had this year entered the contiguous zone around these waters on 264 days as of Wednesday, a pace likely to eclipse the record-high 282 days set last year.
This comes despite a complete halt to such intrusions from Aug. 29, the day after Abe announced he would step down, right through September, when Suga became prime minister. "China was watching Prime Minister Suga's approach after taking office. I think China has resumed its provocations because it has decided that this new administration will follow the previous administration's line," a senior Japanese government official said.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said at a press conference Tuesday, "We plan to firmly defend Japan's territory, territorial waters and territorial airspace, and we will calmly and resolutely deal with this issue."
The Chinese government has insisted its actions were justified. The islands "are China's inherent territory. Patrolling and carrying out law enforcement activities in the relevant waters are also China's inherent right. The Japanese side should respect this," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a press conference Tuesday.
It appears China believes having its government vessels constantly tail and approach Japanese fishing boats will create a situation in which it can claim to be "enforcing the law" and thereby change the status quo in which Japan effectively controls the Senkaku Islands. China also apparently aims to show the Suga Cabinet that it will not budge from its claim of sovereignty over the islands.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
