Two Chinese public vessels had been sailing and drifting in Japanese territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands, in Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, for as long as 30 hours from Thursday afternoon to Friday night, a Japan Regional Coast Guard Headquarters said Friday. It was the longest of its kind since the islands were nationalized in 2012.
It is rare for Chinese public vessels to stay in Japanese territorial waters for such a long time, according to the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters, based in Naha, Okinawa.
One of the two vessels entered the waters at 4:09 p.m. Thursday and left at 10:26 p.m. Friday, the headquarters reported.
They approached a Japanese fishing boat, 9.7 tons with the capacity of three people, about 8 kilometers west-southwest off Uotsurijima island several times, and a Japanese patrol vessel cut in between them to ensure the safety of the Japanese boat.
Separately, two other Chinese public vessels were sailing in the contiguous zone off Senkaku Islands as of 9 a.m. Friday. It is 81 consecutive days that Chinese public vessels have sailed in the contiguous zone, the longest period since the nationalization of the islands.
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