Japan’s Defense Ministry said a Chinese navy survey ship was spotted entering the country’s territorial waters early Sunday near Yakushima, an island in the southern Kagoshima prefecture.
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The vessel crossed into Japan’s waters around 2:30 a.m. local time and left at about 4:10 a.m. sailing west, according to a Ministry of Defense statement. The Japanese government relayed strong concerns to China over the intrusion, Kyodo reported.
Chinese ships enter Japanese territorial waters frequently, a continued point of friction between the two countries. The most recent intrusion took place in December, Kyodo said.