World News| Chinese coast guard ships sail in Japan’s territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands

Tokyo [Japan]May 29 (ANI): Since March, Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels have been sailing in Japanese territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands on Ishigaki Island, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The Japan Times quoted the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) as saying that Chinese Coast Guard ships have been using Automatic Identification System (AIS) equipment to announce their presence.

The Yomiuri Shimbun reported in The Japan Times that Japan’s coast guard is wary of such vessels because they believe they are designed to support China’s argument to the international community to control the islands.

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According to the Japan Times, Chinese Coast Guard vessels have been operating AIS equipment in the territorial waters and contiguous zone since March, according to JCG-related sources. CCG vessels typically sail in fleets of four. One such vessel, numbered “1302”, entered the contiguous area on 16 May.

From May 20th to 21st, the ship was suspected to have entered Japanese territorial waters by bypassing Yudiao Island in Kuba Island. According to reports, Chinese vessels in territorial waters appeared to be tracking a Japanese fishing boat.

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According to data from the Maritime Traffic website, the ship has repeatedly changed direction irregularly in the southeast waters of Nanko Island. Meanwhile, the Japan Coast Guard patrol ship that asked the Chinese ship to leave the area did not activate its AIS equipment, The Japan Times reported.

Chinese government vessels have transmitted AIS messages in the past. However, after the Chinese Coast Guard took over the Armed Police Force in 2018, they stopped activating the system, The Japan Times reported.

According to the Japan Times, the Automatic Identification System is a radio device that automatically shares and receives information about a ship’s location, course, speed, and more.

According to news reports, all passenger ships and other ships engaged in international voyages are required to carry the device under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. Radio transmissions are picked up by surrounding ships and used to facilitate safe navigation in heavily trafficked seas.

In early March, two Chinese ships entered Japan’s territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands on Friday, pursuing two Japanese fishing boats in the East China Sea, Japan’s NHK World reported. The two Chinese ships reportedly entered territorial waters near Taisho Island between 4:20 and 4:50 a.m. (local time) on Friday.

The ships, along with two other Chinese vessels, had previously cruised in contiguous waters off Japan’s territorial waters, Coast Guard officials said. The same Chinese vessel also entered Japanese waters on Thursday, NHK World reported.

The three Chinese ships entered territorial waters in the Yudiao area on Thursday. It appears they are also after Japanese fishing boats. The ships were in Japanese waters for nearly 17 hours, according to news reports. In order to protect the fishing boats and warn the Chinese ships to leave Japanese territorial waters immediately, the Japan Coast Guard dispatched patrol boats. (Arnie)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)