Four Chinese ships were spotted on Sunday in disputed East China Sea waters, Japanese officials said, as Tokyo considered disclosing video footage and pictures as evidence of a Chinese frigate’s alleged radar-lock incident.
For the first time after Tokyo made the allegation last week, China sent maritime surveillance vessels near Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea, known as Senkaku in Tokyo and Diaoyu by Beijing, which also claims them.
They were seen sailing in the contiguous waters near one of the outcrops as of 9am, the Japan Coast Guard said.
Tokyo accused a Chinese frigate of locking its weapons-tracking radar on a Japanese destroyer – the first time the two nations’ navies have locked horns in the territorial dispute that has provoked fears of armed conflict breaking out between the two.
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday demanded Beijing apologise and admit to the incident, which occurred late January, after Chinese authorities flatly denied Tokyo’s accusation.
Japan’s Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said on Fuji TV on Sunday that Tokyo was carefully studying whether or how to disclose military data as evidence.