Japan protests Chinese navy sailing near disputed islands

TOKYO: Japan lodged a protest with China on Monday over a Chinese naval vessel sailing near disputed islands, a Japanese official said, as reports emerged of Russia also sending its own navy ship to the area.

The islets in the East China Sea, known as the Senkaku by Tokyo and the Diaoyu by Beijing, are at the centre of a long-running dispute between Japan and China. Japanese officials regularly protest the presence of Chinese coastguard vessels in waters near the islands, but it is the first time since 2018 that a navy ship has been spotted there, according to public broadcaster NHK.

At around 7:44 am on Monday (2244 GMT Sunday), a Chinese navy frigate "was observed entering Japan’s contiguous waters" southwest of one of the Tokyo-controlled islands, a statement from the Japanese defence ministry said.