3 Chinese ships in disputed waters: Japan

TOKYO, Japan – Three Chinese government ships sailed in waters around disputed islands controlled by Tokyo for about 5 hours on Sunday, May 26, Japan’s coastguard said.

The Chinese maritime surveillance vessels were spotted inside the 12-nautical-mile zone off the Senkaku islands, which China calls the Diaoyus, in the East China Sea shortly after 10 am (0100 GMT), the coastguard said.

They left the zone at 3:14 pm, it said later.

Territorial waters extend for a maximum of 12 nautical miles from coastlines under international law.

The move was the latest in a long series of stand-offs between ships from both sides as Beijing and Tokyo jostle over ownership of the strategically important and resource-rich islands.

A territorial row that dates back 4 decades reignited last September when Tokyo nationalized 3 islands in the chain, in what it said was a mere administrative change of ownership.

The central government’s move was intended to pre-empt a purchase by the Tokyo city government led at the time by nationalist governor Shintaro Ishihara.

But the move prompted angry anti-Japan demonstrations across China, which has intensified claims to the islands it says should have been “returned” after World War II. – Rappler.com