TOKYO, 28 Aug – RIA Novosti. Two Chinese ships entered Japanese territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands , Kyodo reported, citing maritime security.
Two PRC patrol ships entered the territorial waters of Japan in the area of the Senkaku Islands (the Chinese name for Diaoyu), which China claims. At first, four ships were seen in the adjacent zone – a part of the water area bordering the territorial waters.
Then two of them entered the territorial waters and are there now. They attempted to approach a Japanese fishing vessel in the area. An automatic cannon was seen on one of the Chinese ships that did not enter the territorial waters. This year, Chinese ships enter Japan’s territorial waters in the area for the thirty-second time.
The Senkaku Islands (Chinese name for Diaoyu Islands) are the subject of a territorial dispute between China and Japan. Japan claims to have occupied them since 1895, in Beijing they remind that on Japanese maps of 1783 and 1785 Diaoyu (Senkaku) is designated as Chinese territory.
After World War II, the islands were under US control and were ceded to Japan in 1972. Taiwan and mainland China believe that Japan is holding them illegally. Tokyo believes that China and Taiwan began to lay claim to the islands since the 1970s, when it became clear that their waters are rich in minerals.
The territorial dispute escalated even more after the Japanese government in 2012 bought from a private Japanese owner three of the five islands of the Senkaku archipelago (the Chinese name for Diaoyu Dao).
