China and Japan Clash in New Maritime Standoff Over Disputed Senkaku Islands

Japan:

Japanese and Chinese coast guard vessels experienced another confrontation near the disputed islands on Tuesday, as reported by both nations' maritime authorities.

Diplomatic tensions have escalated since newly appointed Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi indicated last month that Japan might militarily respond if China were to attack Taiwan.

According to Japan's coast guard, two Chinese patrol vessels entered what Japan considers its territorial waters surrounding the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea early Tuesday, departing several hours later.

The Senkaku Islands, administered by Japan but known as the Diaoyu Islands in China, have consistently been a source of conflict between the two countries over many years.

When the Chinese vessels approached a Japanese fishing boat, a Japanese coast guard ship demanded their immediate departure from the waters, according to the Japanese coast guard statement.

"Chinese coast guard vessels navigating within Japan's territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands while asserting their own territorial claims fundamentally violates international law," the statement declared.

The Japanese authorities noted that the two Chinese vessels, along with others, remained in the vicinity.

China Coast Guard spokesperson Liu Dejun countered that a Japanese fishing vessel had "illegally entered China's territorial waters".

"China Coast Guard vessels implemented necessary control measures and issued warnings to expel it," Liu stated on the Coast Guard's official WeChat account.

"The China Coast Guard will maintain rights protection and law enforcement operations in waters surrounding the Diaoyu Islands, firmly defending national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights," he further emphasized.

This encounter followed a similar incident near the disputed islands on November 16, approximately one week after Takaichi's comments, as reported by Kyodo News.

China claims sovereignty over self-governed Taiwan and has not excluded the possibility of using military force to take control of the democratic island.

Beijing has advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan, and various cultural events have been affected—including the cancellation of a Japanese singer's performance in Shanghai last Friday.

While reportedly reinstating restrictions on Japanese seafood imports, China has thus far refrained from implementing more severe economic measures such as limiting exports of rare earth metals.