Chinese spy ship enters Japanese waters for first time since 2004

Kenji Kanasugi, director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, lodged a protest with the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo, highlighting Tokyo’s “concerns about the overall activities of the Chinese military.” He also mentioned last week’s incursion.

Tokyo’s reaction was a notch down from that of last week, when it summoned the Chinese ambassador to Japan to protest the incursion, because “innocent passage” is allowed under international law. The Japanese government is eval‎uating whether the latest entry corresponds to an innocent passage.

Unlike the Senkaku Islands, the territorial waters where the Chinese spy ship sailed are not disputed. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshige Seko told a regular news briefing that last week’s response was harsher because of China’s territorial claim to the Senkaku Islands. He noted that while the purpose of the Chinese ship’s sailing remains unclear, Tokyo will “continue to exert every effort in warning and surveillance activities in the waters and airspace surrounding the country.”

도쿄=장원재특파원 peacechaos@donga.com