China Govt Ships Enter Japanese Waters around Senkakus

Naha, Okinawa Pref., April 27 (Jiji Press)–Two Chinese coast guard ships intruded into Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea on Monday afternoon. The two Haijing ships crossed into the Japanese waters between around 4:15 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., according to the Japan Coast Guard’s 11th regional headquarters in Naha, the capital of the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa. As the Haijing vessels tried to approach a Japanese fishing boat operating in the waters, Japan Coast Guard patrol ships safeguarded the fishing boat and urged the Chinese vessels to leave the area. It was the first intrusion into the Japanese waters around the Senkaku chain by a Chinese official ship since April 14. The Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands, part of the Okinawa city of Ishigaki, are claimed by China, where they are known as Diaoyu. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]