Japan Fires Four Chinese Coast Guard Vessels Entering Waters Near Senkaku, One Of Them Equipped With 76mm Meriam

Japan Coast Guard Vessel in the Senkaku Islands. (Wikimedia Commons/Al Jazeera English)

JAKARTA - A Chinese coast guard ship equipped with the largest cannon ever seen on such a ship entered Japanese territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea on Friday, the Japanese coast guard said.

Four Chinese coast guard vessels, including the ship, were detected in the waters of an uninhabited island controlled by Tokyo claimed by Beijing, the coast guard said, days after the leaders of the two Asian powers held their first meeting since 2019.

The Japanese coast guard said two ships entered the territorial waters of the Land of the Rising Sun on Friday at around 02:35 with the first ship followed by the second ship. At around 10 am, two more arrived with one carrying a 76mm weapon, added the coast guard, according to Kyodo News November 25.

After Japanese patrol boats ordered Chinese ships to leave the area immediately, the four moved to adjacent zones outside territorial waters, the coast guard explained.

The intrusion into Japanese maritime territory by China's official ship is the 32nd this year and the first since November 13. The Chinese ship was spotted near Senkaku, including in the additional zone, for 23 consecutive days.

Hingga awal bulan ini, meriam 37 mm adalah meriam terbesar yang ditempat di kapal China yang dilihat oleh Pegawai Pantai Jepang. Namun pada 15 November, China mengirim kapal penjaga pantai dengan meriam 76 mm ke zona berbela di luar perairan teritrial Jepang di lewat pantai Senkaku, dua hari sebelum KTT Jepang-China yang berlangsung di Thailand.

Late Friday, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno criticized Beijing, saying at a press conference such maritime activities by Chinese coast guards violated international law.

Matsuno added that Japan had lodged a protest with China through diplomatic channels over the latest move.

Earlier, during his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bangkok, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida conveyed Japan's "serious concern" about China's efforts to undermine Tokyo's control over Senkaku, according to Japan's Foreign Ministry.

It is known that Senkaku has long been a source of tension between the two East Asian countries. Japan maintains its stance that small islands, called Diaoyu in China, are an inseparable part of its territory.