Chinese & Russian warships spotted yet again outside Senkaku islands, Japan MoD claims

A day after three Russian naval vessels passed between Japan's two Westernmost islands of Yonaguni and Iriomote, a similar incident was again reported around the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. According to a report by Kyodo News Agency, the Japanese authorities said that a Chinese vessel was also spotted outside Japanese territorial waters on Monday. Citing the Japanese Defence Ministry, the report said a Chinese frigate sailed in the contiguous zone for around six minutes on Monday morning. The area where the Chinese vessel was spotted, was administered by Japan but is also claimed by the Chinese.

While the ministry stated that the Russian warship remained in the area for more than an hour-- from 7:05 a.m. to 8:16 a.m. It added that the Russian vessel stayed in the waters to avoid a typhoon. Meanwhile, addressing a press conference, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara said the ministry has already lodged a protest with Beijing. In a staunch voice, he echoed that Tokyo will respond firmly to the illegal activities, however, in "a calm manner".

It is pertinent to mention here that this was not the first time when Chinese and Russian naval vessels had been spotted at the same time. Earlier in June 2016, a similar circumstance was witnessed. As per international law, any ship or warship can sail through the contiguous waters of a coastal nation unless it threatens the nation's safety. Notably, the recent passage came amid a heightened Russian and Chinese naval existence in waters around Tokyo. Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, Japan said it will review its defence policy by the end of this year, reported the Japanese media agency.

Japan to revisit National Defense Program aimed to deter possible Russian aggression

According to the report, Japan's national defence guidelines had been floated earlier last month to deal with inflated regional security threats by China and Russia. Citing the sources in the defence department, the media report said that Japan is revising its National Defense Program Guidelines-- a policy for the next ten years. It said the country would co-ordinate with the United States to enable the country to deal with the threats posed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Supreme leader Kim Jong-un. Sources told Kyodo News that the new policy, which is also considered a politically sensitive issue in Japan, will decide "whether Japan can acquire capabilities to attack enemy bases in counterstrike". Currently, Japan has an exclusively-defence-oriented policy under the war-renouncing constitution. 

Image: AP/@ModJapan_en/Twitter