Japan protests as first Chinese navy ship in 4 years spotted near Diaoyu Islands

The uninhabited islets in the East China Sea, which Tokyo calls the Senkaku Islands, are at the centre of a long-running dispute between Japan and China

Japan’s diplomatic protest came as domestic media, citing anonymous defence ministry sources, reported that Russia had also sent its own naval ship to the area

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A Japanese coastguard vessel patrols near the disputed Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. The last time a Chinese navy vessel was seen near the islands was 2018, according to public broadcaster NHK. Photo: Reuters

Published: 2:09pm, 4 Jul 2022Updated: 2:12pm, 4 Jul 2022

Japan lodged a protest with China on Monday over a Chinese naval vessel sailing near the disputed Diaoyu Islands, a Japanese official said, as reports emerged of Russia also sending its own navy ship to the area.

The islets in the East China Sea, which Tokyo calls the Senkaku Islands, are at the centre of a long-running dispute between Japan and China.

Japanese officials regularly protest the presence of Chinese coastguard vessels in waters near the islands, but it is the first time since 2018 that a navy ship has been spotted there, according to public broadcaster NHK.

At around 7:44am on Monday, a Chinese navy frigate “was observed entering Japan’s contiguous waters” southwest of one of the Tokyo-controlled islands, a statement from the Japanese defence ministry said.

Contiguous waters are a 12-nautical-mile band that extends beyond territorial waters.

“We expressed grave concerns and lodged our protest to the Chinese side through a diplomatic route, and urged them to prevent a repeat” of similar incidents, deputy chief cabinet secretary Seiji Kihara told reporters.

The Diaoyu Islands, which Japan controls and calls the Senkaku Islands. Photo: Kyodo