Japan Protests Chinese Naval Incursions Amid Rising Tensions

Japan has lodged a formal protest with China after a Chinese naval survey vessel entered Japanese waters, marking the second incursion within a week. The increased Chinese military activity has led to heightened concerns in Tokyo, prompting a defense buildup to deter Beijing's territorial ambitions.

In a significant development, Japan lodged a formal protest with China following the incursion of a Chinese naval survey vessel into Japanese waters on Saturday. This marks the second such intrusion within the span of a week, escalating tensions between the two nations.

Recent years have seen a notable uptick in Chinese military activities near Japan and around Taiwan, raising alarms in Tokyo. In response, Japan has been accelerating its defense buildup aimed at deterring potential Chinese military actions to assert territorial claims in the region. The vessel was detected off the coast of Kagoshima Prefecture at approximately 6 a.m. local time, leaving the area within two hours, as confirmed by Japan's defense ministry.

The Japanese foreign ministry promptly expressed strong concerns and filed a protest with the Chinese embassy. This protest also referenced an earlier incident involving the incursion of a Chinese military plane into Japanese airspace, deemed 'utterly unacceptable' by Tokyo. As of now, repeated attempts to contact the Chinese embassy in Tokyo have gone unanswered. According to NHK, this event marks the tenth such intrusion by a Chinese naval survey ship in the past year.

(With inputs from agencies.)