Japan's coast guard said that 2 Chinese ships were spotted near islands at the center of a dispute between Beijing and Tokyo, as diplomats try to mend ties after a recent bitter row between the two countries. A Japanese patrol aircraft saw an advanced Chinese fisheries patrol ship in waters near the island chain in the East China Sea around 8:25 am on Saturday, a coast guard spokeswoman said, before finding a second vessel 20 minutes later.
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| An advanced Chinese Fishery Patrol Ship |
Japanese patrol ships repeatedly told the vessels not to enter Japan's territorial waters, she said. The coast guard later said the Chinese ships were cruising around the disputed islands, responding to the radio messages by saying they were on a "justifiable mission". Both countries claim the potentially resource-rich islets, known as the Diaoyus in China and Senkakus in Japan, along with the nearby seas.The latest dispute broke out in September and has brought ties between the Asian rivals to their lowest point in years, fuelling nationalist anger in both nations.
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| Diaoyus (Senkakus) Islets - Disputed territory between China and Japan |
Leaders are now gradually trying to mend relations.Saturday's maritime encounter came after a helicopter-equipped advanced fisheries vessel left Guangzhou in China for the East China Sea on a mission that could last 20 days, according to a report Tuesday by the state Xinhua news agency.It was unclear whether a chopper was on board because the ship closed the shutter of its helicopter hangar, Japan's coast guard said.It was the first time since October 24 that Chinese patrol vessels had been seen operating in the region, Japan's Jiji Press reported."The two vessels came as close as 23 kilometres (14 miles) to the islands", the coast guard spokeswoman said, adding that the ships had not entered what Japan considers its waters. It must be kept in mind that Japanese government is a puppet in the hatch working for USZ ever since Japan surrendered after World War 2. And recent fanatic anti-China protests in Japan have been tagged as CIA's subversion attempts in the region by various analysts already.
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