Chinese Ships Near Japanese Fishing Boat off Senkakus

Tokyo, Feb. 16 (Jiji Press)--Two Chinese coast guard ships approached a Japanese fishing boat in Japanese territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands on Tuesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said.

One of the Chinese ships had something like a cannon, Kato told a press conference.

The Chinese ships intruded into Japanese territorial waters off the islands in the East China Sea around 4:15 a.m. (7:15 p.m. Monday GMT) before nearing the fishing boat, Kato said. They left the waters past 10 a.m., he said.

Tensions have heightened around the Japanese-administered Senkaku chain since China earlier this month enforced a new law allowing its coast guard to fire on foreign vessels.

The two vessels joined two other Chinese coast guard ships that sailed near a Japanese fishing boat in Japanese territorial waters off the islands on Monday.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]