A Chinese naval ship has entered Japan's territorial waters in the East China Sea, escalating tensions between the two nations.
According to Newsweek, Japan's Defense Ministry reported that the Chinese vessel, identified as the Hai Yang 25, a hydrographic survey ship, sailed into Japanese waters near Kuchinoerabu Island on Saturday, September 2, 2024.
The incident occurred in a strategically significant area of the East China Sea, close to the Osumi Islands, which form part of the first island chain. This chain is crucial to the U.S. island chain strategy, designed to contain China's naval activities in potential future conflicts. The Japanese government has responded by lodging a formal protest with Beijing through diplomatic channels.
The Hai Yang 25, a Type 636A hydrographic survey ship with a displacement of 5,883 tons, entered Japanese waters at 6 a.m. on Saturday. It remained in the area for nearly two hours, exiting southwest of Yakushima Island at 7:53 a.m. In response to this incursion, the Japanese navy deployed a minesweeper and a patrol aircraft to monitor the Chinese vessel's movements.
This type of survey ship is often utilized for researching underwater topography, which is crucial for submarine navigation. The presence of such a vessel in Japanese waters has raised concerns about potential military intelligence gathering operations by China in the region.
The Japanese Defense Ministry has emphasized that this is not an isolated incident. In fact, it marks the tenth time since November 2021 that a Chinese survey ship has entered Japan's waters off the coast of Kyushu, indicating a pattern of increased Chinese naval activity in the area.
The location of this incursion holds significant strategic value. The Osumi Islands, including Kuchinoerabu and Yakushima, are part of the Ryukyu Archipelago, which extends from Japan to Taiwan and the Philippines. This island chain is a key component of the U.S. strategy to limit China's naval capabilities in the region.
Moreover, the nearby Osumi Strait serves as a major waterway for the Chinese navy to access the Philippine Sea and the broader Pacific Ocean. By conducting survey operations in this area, China may be seeking to enhance its understanding of the underwater terrain, potentially for future naval operations.
The incident also occurred in proximity to the contested Senkaku Islands, which both Japan and China claim. These uninhabited islets in the East China Sea, known as the Diaoyu Islands in China, have been a source of ongoing tension between the two countries since Japan nationalized them in 2012.
This naval incursion is part of a broader pattern of Chinese military activities near Japanese territory. Just a week prior to this incident, on August 26, a Chinese air force Y-9 reconnaissance aircraft violated Japanese airspace. In response to that event, the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that "China has no intention of intruding into the airspace of any country."
However, the repeated presence of Chinese vessels and aircraft in and around Japanese territory suggests a more complex reality. The Chinese coast guard has also been increasingly active in the region, recently setting a new record by patrolling the waters around the Senkaku Islands for 200 consecutive days.
These incidents have not been limited to Japanese waters. Similar activities by Chinese survey ships have been reported in other parts of the region, including the South China Sea near Vietnam. Such operations have drawn protests from neighboring countries, who view them as violations of their maritime rights and sovereignty.
The entry of the Chinese naval ship Hai Yang 25 into Japanese territorial waters near Kuchinoerabu Island has heightened tensions between China and Japan. This incident is part of a larger pattern of Chinese naval and air force activities in the region, which includes repeated incursions into Japanese-controlled areas. The strategic location of the incursion, near the first island chain and the contested Senkaku Islands, underscores the geopolitical significance of these actions.
