Four Chinese Ships Enter Japanese Territorial Waters Near Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands - Reports - UrduPoint

Four Chinese government ships on Tuesday entered Japan's territorial waters in the East China Sea near the disputed Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu Islands in China, Japanese media reported on Tuesday.

According to NHK broadcaster citing Japan Coast Guard officials, Chinese vessels entered into Japan's territorial waters at 09:45 a.m. local time (00:45 GMT) and remained there for two hours. Then, the Chinese vessels were located in contiguous zone, approximately 24-31 kilometers (38-49 miles) north of Senkaku's Kubashima Island.

Today's incident became the sixth time when China has infringed on Japan's territorial waters since the beginning of the year. The previous case was detected on March 16.

Both Japan and China have extended territorial claims over the Senkaku Islands. Japan insists on its sovereignty over the islands, effective since 1895, while China points to the 1783 and 1785 Japanese maps designating the islands as Chinese territory. After World War II, the Senkaku Islands went under the control of the United States and were passed on to Japan in 1972.

Japan believes that China's sovereignty claims over the islands follow the discovery of valuable minerals in their shelf water in the 1970s. The territorial dispute escalated in 2012, when the Japanese government purchased three of the five islands from a private owner, thereby confirming Japan's affiliation with the islands.