Japan Protests China's Incursion: Defense Concerns Rise

Japan formally protested against China's alleged territorial water incursion by a Chinese survey ship. The event heightened concerns among Japanese defense officials over China's assertive activities. The Chinese Foreign Ministry denied any intention to violate airspace. Bilateral business ties between the countries remain unaffected.

Japan has registered a formal protest with China, accusing a Chinese survey ship of encroaching its territorial waters near Kagoshima Prefecture early Saturday morning, according to the Japanese foreign ministry.

The ministry conveyed its "strong concern" after the ship was observed within Japan's territorial waters between 6 am and 8 am local time. Japan's Defence Ministry stated that the vessel was closely monitored by Japanese military assets before it departed.

Japan's defense officials remain troubled by China's assertive maneuvers in Japanese waters and airspace, further exacerbated by increasing military collaborations between China and Russia. These developments follow a recent incident where a Chinese military aircraft briefly intruded into Japanese airspace. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian reiterated that China has no intention of violating any country's airspace.

Nevertheless, the robust bilateral business relations and interactions among scholars and business professionals between the two nations continue unaffected by the recent tensions.

(With inputs from agencies.)