Japan coast guard vessels sail north of Uotsuri island, part of the Senkaku chain, in April 2024. (Ishigaki city, Okinawa)
Chinese coast guard vessels ended a record presence in waters near the disputed Senkaku Islands on Sunday, according to the Japanese coast guard.
The last Chinese vessel left the contiguous zone northwest of Uotsuri Island that evening, the coast guard announced in a statement the following day.
“This concludes a record stay of 335 consecutive days since Nov. 19,” a Japan coast guard spokesman told Stars and Stripes by phone Wednesday. “We don’t know why they left, but the weather condition in the area is rough. The waves are high.”
The previous record was 215 days between Dec. 22, 2023, and July 23, 2024, the spokesman said.
The contiguous zone extends 24 miles beyond a nation’s 12-mile territorial waters. Under international law, countries may exercise limited control in that area.
Chinese vessels have entered Japanese territorial waters 22 times since Jan. 1, prompting Japan to dispatch its own patrol ships, the coast guard spokesman said.
“If they come again, we will respond resolutely,” he said. Some Japanese government officials are required to speak to the media on condition of anonymity.
The Senkakus — administered by Japan but also claimed by China and Taiwan — consist of five uninhabited islets and three reefs about 105 miles east of Taiwan and 254 miles west of Okinawa.
The area is believed to contain oil reserves and other resources, fueling disputes since the 1970s, according to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass said Monday that the United States is “fully committed to the defense of Japan, including the Senkaku Islands, and using whatever means to do just that,” during a speech at a hotel in Tokyo, national broadcaster NHK reported that day.
The Pentagon has identified China as an aggressive presence in the East and South China seas and a global “pacing challenge” in its 2022 National Defense Strategy.
