Japan says armed China ship near disputed isles

A Chinese Coast Guard ship which appeared to be armed with several cannon on Satu-rday entered what Tokyo regards as its territorial waters near disputed isla-nds, the Japan Coast Guard said.

Japan and China routinely butt heads over ownership of the uninhabited East China Sea islets, as Chinese ships — mostly Coast Guard vessels — and aircraft have sometimes approached them to back up Beijing’s claims and test Japan’s response.

It was however the first time an apparently armed Chinese Coast Guard vessel had “entered the territorial waters near the Se-nkaku Islands”, the Japan Coast Guard said. Japan administers the uninhabited islands under that name but China also claims them and calls them the Diaoyus.

On Tuesday Japan said it had spotted the armed Chinese Coast Guard ship for the first time in the contiguous waters near the islands. “The ship is seen carrying four pieces of equipment, two at the front and another set of two at the rear, which each seem to have something similar to a cannon,” a Coast Gua-rd spokeswoman had said at the time. The same ship entered what Tokyo considers its territorial waters, with two other Chinese Coast Guard vessels without such equipment, at aro-und 00.30 GMT on Saturday and stayed for about an hour, the Japan Coast Guard said in statements.

In November, Japan said it spotted a Chinese naval intelligence ship operating near the disputed islands for the first time.