NAHA, OKINAWA PREF. – Two Chinese coast guard vessels entered Japanese territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands, located in Okinawa Prefecture, early Saturday morning. The Japan Coast Guard (JCG) responded by issuing warnings to the Chinese ships and ensuring the protection of a Japanese fishing boat they attempted to approach.

According to the 11th Regional Headquarters of the JCG based in Naha, the vessels entered the waters near Uotsuri Island, part of the Senkaku chain, at approximately 12:50 a.m. This incident marks another example of Chinese maritime activity in the region, following a similar intrusion by Chinese coast guard ships near a different island in the Senkaku group on July 9. Those ships departed Japanese waters on July 11.

The Senkaku Islands are administered by Japan but are claimed by China, which refers to them as Diaoyu Islands. The area remains a sensitive point of territorial dispute between the two countries. The JCG continues to monitor the situation closely to maintain Japan’s territorial integrity and safeguard maritime activities in the region.