Key facts
- China and Japan provided differing accounts of a maritime incident near the Senkaku Islands.
- China's Coast Guard stated it expelled a Japanese fishing vessel for illegally entering territorial waters.
- Japan's Coast Guard reported intercepting and expelling two Chinese vessels that approached a Japanese fishing boat.
- Japan considers China's assertion of claims in its territorial waters a violation of international law.
China and Japan offered conflicting narratives on Tuesday regarding a confrontation near the disputed Senkaku Islands, which are claimed by both nations and known as the Diaoyu Islands in China. The incident involved their respective coast guards and a Japanese fishing vessel.
China's Coast Guard announced it had expelled a Japanese fishing boat that had "illegally entered the territorial waters" of the disputed islands in the East China Sea. In contrast, Japan's Coast Guard stated that by Tuesday morning, it had intercepted and expelled two Chinese Coast Guard vessels that were approaching a Japanese fishing boat carrying two crew members.
Japan maintains that Chinese vessels asserting Beijing's claims in its territorial waters around the Senkaku islands contravene international law. Tokyo has indicated it will continue to respond to such incidents with calmness and resolution, adhering to both international and domestic legal frameworks.