Chinese Navy Ship Enters Japanese Waters for 10th Time

Tokyo, Feb. 12 (Jiji Press)--A Chinese navy survey vessel entered Japanese territorial waters off the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima on Sunday, according to Japan's Defense Ministry.

It was the 10th time for a Chinese military vessel to intrude into Japanese waters, after the ninth in December last year.

Over the latest incident, the Japanese government conveyed its strong concern to the Chinese side through diplomatic channels.

According to the ministry, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force spotted a Shupang-class survey ship of the Chinese navy sailing north in the contiguous zone south of the island of Yakushima in Kagoshima around 12:50 a.m. Sunday (3:50 p.m. Saturday GMT).

The Chinese vessel entered Japanese waters southwest of Yakushima around 2:30 a.m. and sailed there for about an hour and 40 minutes. It left the waters northeast of Kuchinoerabu island, also in Kagoshima. A P-1 patrol plane of the MSDF monitored the Chinese ship.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]