Chinese Ships Enter Japanese Waters Off Senkakus
Four Chinese government ships temporarily entered Japanese territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea on Wednesday.
Japan Coast Guard officials said the vessels entered waters near the islands of Minamikojima and Uotsurijima, one after the other, at around 10 a.m..
Officials added that the ships remained in Japanese territorial waters for about two hours, before leaving around noon.
Shortly after noon, the four ships were within Japan's contiguous zone. Two of the vessels were sailing about 26 kilometers southeast of the island of Kubashima, while the remaining two were between 24 to 25 kilometers south of Minamikojima.
The Japan Coast Guard warned the vessels against re-entering Japan's territorial waters.
It was the 30th time this year that Chinese government vessels have been spotted entering Japanese territorial waters. The last time was on September 19.
Japan controls the Senkaku Islands. The Japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory. China and Taiwan claim them.