The territorial dispute over the islands between the two countries escalated after Tokyo announced in September 2012 that it had purchased them from private owners
The Japanese government has sent a protest to Chinese authorities over the appearance on Wednesday of Chinese patrol ships in the waters of the Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu) in the East China Sea, which is the subject of a territorial dispute between Tokyo and Beijing. Katsunobu Kato, Secretary-General of the Cabinet of Ministers of Japan, announced this at a regular press conference.
“Japan protested to China in connection with the invasion of [Japanese] territorial waters,” said the Cabinet Secretary General. He also noted that the Japanese authorities “intend to make every effort to monitor the situation in the Senkaku Islands area and to engage calmly and decisively with the Chinese side on this issue.
The territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands between Japan and China escalated after Tokyo announced its purchase from private owners in September 2012. This was followed by mass anti-Japanese demonstrations in China. Since then, Chinese ships have been constantly cruising near the disputed islands and have made occasional demonstration visits to the coastal zone.