Tokyo: The Japanese Defence Ministry said that a Chinese navy survey ship entered Japan's territorial waters off its southwestern islands on Saturday, Kyodo News reported. The intrusion comes less than a week after Japan strongly protested against a Chinese military aircraft's airspace breach.
The Japanese Ministry said that Japan, through its diplomatic channels, has again protested to China and conveyed its strong concern over the Chinese navy's latest movement. It marked the Chinese survey ship's 10th entry into Japanese waters off Kagoshima Prefecture since November 2021.
The Chinese naval vessel was detected entering the territorial waters west of Kuchinoerabu Island around 6 am (local time) and left the waters southwest of Yakushima Island at around 7:53 am (local time), Kyodo News reported, citing the ministry.
Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force deployed a minesweeper and patrol aircraft to monitor the Chinese vessel. Survey vessels are often used to carry out research on underwater topography for submarine navigation, the report said.
The Chinese navy survey ship's latest crossing comes after Japan on Monday for the first time said that a Chinese military spy plane violated Japanese airspace over waters in the East China Sea off islands in the southwestern prefecture of Nagasaki, Kyodo News reported.
Also Read: https://www.thehawk.in/posts/china-philippines-accuse-each-other-of-ramming-ships-in-south-china-sea
