The Yomiuri ShimbunA submarine that sailed around Amami Oshima island in Kagoshima Prefecture is “presumed to belong to China,” Defense Minister Taro Kono said on Tuesday.
Japan’s government has heightened its vigilance against the continuing incursions by China into Japan’s territorial waters and connecting waters.
The submarine sailed underwater through Japan’s connecting waters on June 18. It is unusual to disclose the nationality of such submarines, because information on these vessels is highly confidential.
“In light of the recent situation, including that in the Senkaku Islands, I’ve decided that its nationality should be made public,” Kono said.
Four Chinese government vessels entered Japan’s territorial waters in the vicinity of the Senkaku Islands for about four hours on Monday afternoon, shortly after the city assembly of Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, passed a bill to rename an area of the Senkaku Islands, putting the word “Senkaku” in the name. China is believed to have objected to this.
The Japanese government protested to China through diplomatic channels over the intrusion into its territorial waters. But later, four Chinese government ships were found to still be in the connecting waters on Tuesday. This brought to 71 the number of consecutive days that Chinese ships have been sailing in those waters, the longest such period since Japan’s nationalization of the Senkakus in 2012.
Kono indicated at a press conference that he would keep a close eye on China’s moves.
“With so much going on, not only in the East China Sea, but also, for example, regarding the pressure on ‘one country, two systems’ in Hong Kong, it’s necessary to clearly determine the intentions of the Chinese Communist Party,” Kono said.Speech
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