Chinese ship spotted near disputed Isles: Japan

Chinese coastguard vessels sail regularly near the islets, but a Japanese coastguard spokeswoman told Reuters it was the first time an armed Chinese coastguard ship had been spotted in the area. China and Japan have been shadow boxing over the islands for a long time now.

“We have delivered our strong protest and requested a stop to the activities near the Senkaku Islands immediately,” Takako Ito, a spokeswoman at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in an email. Firm stand She referred to the group of tiny, uninhabited islands by their Japanese name. 

They are known as the Diaoyu in China.  “Japan will continue to act firmly and calmly, under the principle of resolutely defending our territorial land, sea and air,” she said. The vessel, first sighted on Wednesday afternoon, was sailing 29 km (18 miles) off one of the contested islands as of 9:00 a.m. (0530 IST) today, Japan’s coastguard said. 

Thorny issue Sino-Japanese ties have long been mired by the dispute over the Japanese-controlled islands. Patrol ships and fighter jets from both sides regularly shadow each other near the islands, stoking concern that an accidental collision could trigger a clash. Japan said in 2013 a Chinese navy vessel aimed fire control radar, normally used to aim weapons at a target, at a Japanese navy ship in the East China Sea, prompting Japan to protest.