In addition, Japanese Coast Guard ships have issued a warning.
The Government of Japan protested to the Chinese authorities over the 100-day stay of Chinese guard ships off the Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu) in the East China Sea, which is the subject of a territorial dispute between Tokyo and Beijing. This was announced by Cabinet Secretary General Yoshihide Suga at a press conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.
“Coast Guard ships located in the area [of islands] have sent a warning [to Chinese ships], also through diplomatic channels, strong protest was expressed to the Chinese side”, – he said.
Chinese watchtowers have been patrolling near Senkaku for record time. Japanese patrol ships are demanding their departure from the area, but are not taking decisive action.
This desert ridge, along with Taiwan Island, was annexed to Japan in 1895 (after its victory in the war with imperial China). After its defeat in World War II, Tokyo renounced its rights to Taiwan. Beijing demands that Tokyo do the same with respect to Senkaku. However, the Japanese government claims that the islands were legally annexed, not as a result of the war, since they were uninhabited and belonged to no one in the late 19th century. For a long time, the islands had been in private possession of a wealthy Japanese family. In September 2012, however, Tokyo had bought them out and nationalized them, which had sparked strong protests in Beijing. Chinese watchtowers have since continuously displayed the flag near the islands, which has escalated several times into dangerous incidents with Japanese patrol ships.