On Saturday, a Chinese Navy survey vessel briefly entered Japanese territorial waters off the coast of Kagoshima Prefecture, located in southwestern Japan. According to Japan’s defense ministry, the vessel was detected in Japanese territory around 6 a.m. local time (2100 GMT Friday). The vessel departed by 7:53 a.m., as reported on the ministry’s website.
This incident marks the tenth time in the past year that a Chinese Navy survey ship has sailed through Japan’s territorial waters. If submarines and intelligence-gathering vessels are included, the number of such incidents rises to thirteen, according to Japan’s national broadcaster NHK. The repeated incursions highlight ongoing tensions between China and Japan over maritime boundaries and territorial claims in the East China Sea.
