Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer JS Suzutsuki patrols waters in the Middle East in January 2023. (Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force)

Japan’s Ministry of Defense has denied a Japanese media report this week that Chinese naval vessels fired two warning shots at a Japanese warship that sailed into China’s territorial waters last year.

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer JS Suzutsuki on July 4, 2024, inadvertently sailed within 12 nautical miles of the coast of Zhejiang province, Kyodo News reported at the time. The Japanese destroyer was monitoring a live-fire exercise by Chinese forces in Hangzhou Bay, according to the report.

After repeatedly warning the destroyer to change course, Chinese vessels fired two warning shots — one before it entered territorial waters and another after it crossed into the area, Kyodo reported Sunday, citing unnamed diplomatic sources.

The defense ministry in an unsigned email on Tuesday rebutted the Kyodo report.

To date, “Self-Defense Force vessels have never received warning shots fired by Chinese military vessels,” the email stated. The ministry declined to comment specifically about the incident, citing security reasons.

Suzutsuki’s electronic navigational chart did not show the boundaries of China’s territorial waters because a switch was not activated, Kyodo reported Sunday.

Some Japanese government officials may speak to the press only on condition of anonymity.

Beijing filed a complaint with Tokyo at the time, saying it suspected the Suzutsuki’s approach was an “intentional provocation.” China claimed the ship was collecting and analyzing information, Kyodo reported at the time.

China Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian did not confirm or deny that warning shots were fired when asked Monday by a reporter from the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shinbun.

“For foreign military vessels that enter China’s territorial waters without approval, the Chinese side will handle the matter in accordance with the laws and regulations,” he said.

The Suzutsuki’s skipper was replaced the same month the incident occurred, former Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said in September. He declined to identify the officer or say why the move was made. Kihara also declined to confirm that the destroyer intruded into Chinese waters.

Under China’s Maritime Traffic Safety Law, foreign vessels are required to give notice and provide a variety of information before entering Chinese waters. Under the more broadly accepted United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, foreign warships are generally allowed innocent passage through territorial waters provided they don’t pose a threat.

Chinese vessels frequently intrude into waters claimed by Japan near the Senkakus, islets about 105 miles east of Taiwan that are administered by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing and Taipei.