Japanese Defence Ministry Protests Chinese Naval and Air Intrusions

Japan's Defence Ministry reported a Chinese navy survey ship entering Japanese waters near its southwestern islands. This incursion follows a previous airspace breach by a Chinese military aircraft. Diplomatic protests have been lodged with China over these repeated incursions.

The Japanese Defence Ministry announced that a Chinese navy survey ship entered Japan's territorial waters off its southwestern islands on Saturday. This incident comes on the heels of Japan's strong protest regarding a recent airspace breach by a Chinese military aircraft.

According to the ministry, the Chinese vessel was detected around 6 am local time near Kuchinoerabu Island and exited the waters southwest of Yakushima Island by 7:53 am. The Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force deployed both a minesweeper and patrol aircraft for monitoring purposes. Survey ships are often used to research underwater topography for submarine navigation, Kyodo News reported.

The latest sea incursion coincides with Japan's first acknowledgment on Monday of a Chinese military spy plane violating Japanese airspace over the East China Sea, near Nagasaki. The Y-9 surveillance aircraft reportedly breached territorial airspace off the Danjo islands at 11:29 am, prompting an emergency deployment of Japanese fighter jets. The aircraft circled the area multiple times before returning to China around 1:15 pm local time. Japan's Air Self-Defence Force did not use weapons or signal flares.

Japan's Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano summoned China's acting ambassador to lodge an 'extremely serious protest' and demanded measures to prevent further incidents. The Japanese Foreign Ministry highlighted continuing intrusions by Chinese naval ships around the Senkaku Islands, disputed territory that China refers to as Diaoyu.

(With inputs from agencies.)