Japan News: 4 Chinese ships observed off Senkaku Islands

Four Chinese government ships were confirmed sailing in the contiguous zone off the Senkaku Islands, which are part of Okinawa Prefecture, on Friday night, the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters in Naha has announced. This marks the first reported entry by Chinese ships to Japan’s contiguous zone in 2021.

Last year, Chinese government ships were spotted in Japan’s contiguous zone on a total of 333 days, far exceeding the 2019 figure of 282 days. The increased sightings demonstrate that Chinese ships have been engaging in regular activities around the islands. In addition, Chinese ships were spotted in Japanese territorial waters for a total of 29 days in 2020. In October 2020, they stayed in Japan’s territorial waters for 57 hours and 39 minutes, the longest period since the nationalization of the islands in 2012.