Chinese vessel's second intrusion this week sparks protest from Japan

On Saturday, Japan's Ministry of Defense reported that a Chinese research vessel entered Japanese territorial waters near the Osumi Islands. The Tokyo government issued a formal protest to the authorities in Beijing. Japanese media emphasized that this was the second incursion this week.

The Chinese research vessel was detected early in the morning Eastern Time in Japan’s territorial waters west of Kuchinoerabu Island. The Japanese ministry reported that it left these waters in less than two hours near Yakushima Island.

It was added that the Japan Self-Defense Forces, as Japan’s armed forces are formally called, sent a minesweeper and patrol aircraft to monitor the movement of the Chinese vessel.

The Kyodo agency reported that this was the 10th incursion of a Chinese research vessel into Japanese waters near islands belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture since November 2021. According to them, such vessels are often used for bathymetric research and submarine navigation purposes.

The Japanese news agency recalled that on Monday, a Chinese military plane's first-ever airspace violation over the East China Sea was confirmed. According to the Tokyo authorities, it was a spy plane.

In recent years, the Japanese government has repeatedly expressed concern over China's increasing military activity in the surrounding seas. In response to these concerns, Tokyo announced last year plans for the largest arms buildup since the end of World War II.