Japan and China trade accusations after coast guard standoff near disputed Senkaku Islands
Japanese and Chinese coast guards traded accusations on Tuesday after a confrontation near the disputed Senkaku Islands, with each side claiming to have expelled the other's vessels from its territorial waters.
The incident
On Tuesday morning, two Chinese coast guard vessels entered waters Japan considers its territorial seas near the uninhabited Senkaku Islands, approaching a Japanese fishing boat with two crew members. Japan's coast guard said it ordered the Chinese ships to leave, and they departed by 9:20 a.m. local time. Four Chinese vessels had been operating in the area before the two entered Japanese waters off Taisho Island at around 2:25 a.m.
Conflicting accounts
China's coast guard offered a mirror-image narrative, saying it had expelled the Japanese fishing vessel Zuihou Maru after it "intruded into" Chinese territorial waters.issued orders to leave... successfully forcing the Chinese coast guard vessels to leave Japanese territorial waters by approximately 9:20 am today.
Beijing called the islands "China's inherent territory" and urged Tokyo to stop "provocative acts."The Japanese fishing vessel Zuihou Maru violated territorial waters and Coast Guard vessels took the necessary measures to warn and expel it.
Background of the dispute
The Senkaku Islands, known as Diaoyu in China, lie between Taiwan and Japan's Okinawa prefecture. Administered by Japan, they are claimed by both countries. Chinese government vessels routinely patrol nearby, though approaches to Japanese fishing boats are less common. The last reported Chinese coast guard entry into Japanese waters was on June 10.
- Last reported Chinese coast guard entry into Japanese waters near Senkaku Islands
- Two Chinese coast guard vessels enter Japanese territorial waters off Taisho Island
- Chinese vessels approach a Japanese fishing boat with two crew members
- Japan Coast Guard orders Chinese vessels to leave, dispatches patrol boat to protect fishing vessel
- Chinese vessels leave Japanese territorial waters
Rising tensions
The incident follows a sharp deterioration in Japan-China relations since November 2025, when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Japan could come to Taiwan's military aid if China invaded. Beijing condemned the remarks, urged its citizens to avoid travel to Japan, and tightened trade restrictions on some Japanese firms. Tuesday's confrontation adds to a pattern of maritime friction that both sides have vowed to handle calmly but resolutely.
