Japan accuses Chinese PLAN ships of incursion near disputed Senkaku islands

Japan on Friday claimed that at least two Chinese ships intruded into its territorial waters near disputed Senkaku Islands in East China Sea kwn as Diaoyudao Islands to China. Chinese vessels encroached on Japanese waters as y followed two Japanese fishing boats patrolling region's resources. People's Liberation Army Navy [PLAN] ships and two or Chinese vessels entered territorial waters off Taisho Island between 4:20 a.m. and 4:50 a.m. on Friday, said Japanese Coast Guard in a statement. Chinese vessels have long been sailing in Japanese contiguous zone just outside sovereign territorial waters, coast guard added, according to NHK. 

Chinese PLAN vessels sail one to five kilometres from Japanese fishing boats

two Chinese ships were spotted sailing just one to five kilometres from Japanese fishing boats that were on ir way approximately 16 kilometres southwest of Taisho Island. Japanese coast guard scrambled patrol vessels to chase off Chinese vessels and to ensure  safety of fishing boats. Contentious Senkaku Islands are claimed by both Japan and China and dispute between two WWII rivals worsened in 2012 after  Japanese government bought three of five islands from private owner. Japanese officials have since reported an increase in Chinese military's maritime and aerial activities in region. Earlier, Takehiro Funakoshi, head of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at Japan’s Foreign Ministry, logged concerns about repeated incursions made by Chinese ships into Japanese sovereign waters and its exclusive ecomic zone [EEZ] "illegally." 

Last month, a Chinese naval helicopter encroached on Japan's air, as it flew near country's exclusive ecomic zone (EEZ) in East China Sea. helicopter was approaching a Japanese research ship, NHK reported. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida-led government slammed Chinese PLA incursion in its official response to incident. Kishida administration called act of violating Japan's sovereign territory "regrettable." Japanese government urged Beijing through a diplomatic channel to prevent any similar occurrences in future. Meanwhile,  Chinese Coast Guard defended move, saying that PLA was conducting routine patrols in accordance with protocols to instate maritime rights protection and law enforcement in area that Chinese CPC considers its jurisdiction. Beijing, in turn, called on Japanese side to stop what it described as "illegal activities" near Senkaku Islands kwn as  Diaoyus by China, and prevent similar incidents from occurring in future.