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Japan protested to China on Saturday after a Chinese naval survey ship entered Japanese waters, the second time in less than a week that Chinese troops have intruded into Japanese territory.
China’s increased military activity near Japan and around Taiwan in recent years has sparked concern in Tokyo, which has responded by beefing up its defenses, saying the move is aimed at deterring Beijing from using military force to advance its territorial claims in the region.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said the ship was spotted in waters off southwestern Japan’s Kagoshima prefecture at around 6 a.m. local time (21:00 GMT Friday) and left within two hours.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Tokyo had expressed “strong concern and protest” to Chinese embassy officials, also referring to the first intrusion of Chinese military aircraft into Japanese airspace on Monday.
Earlier this week, Tokyo told Chinese diplomats that Monday’s violation of its airspace was “totally unacceptable.”
Reuters calls to the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo during non-business hours went unanswered.
Saturday’s incident was the tenth time a Chinese naval survey ship has passed through Japanese territorial waters in the past year, and the thirteenth if submarines and other intelligence-gathering vessels are included, according to public broadcaster NHK.
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