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 Chinese coastguard vessels sail regularly near the islets, but a
Japanese coastguard spokeswoman told Reuters it was the first time
an armed Chinese coastguard ship had been spotted in the area. For
its part, China said the vessels were carrying standard equipment
and doing nothing wrong in Chinese waters.
"We have delivered our strong protest and requested (the Chinese
coastguard) to stop the activities near the Senkaku Islands
immediately," Takako Ito, a spokeswoman at Japan's Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, said in an email.
She referred to the group of tiny, uninhabited islands by their
Japanese name. They are know as the Diaoyu in China.
"Japan will continue to act firmly and calmly, under the principle
of resolutely defending our territorial land, sea and air," she
said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei reiterated China's
stance that the islands have been Chinese territory since ancient
times.
"Patrols by Chinese coastguard ships in the relevant seas are beyond
reproach," Hong said at a daily news briefing. "The equipment on
Chinese coast guard vessels is standard equipment and no different
from international practice."
The vessel, first sighted on Tuesday afternoon, was sailing 29 km
(18 miles) off one of the contested islands as of 9:00 a.m. (7 p.m.
ET) on Wednesday, Japan's coastguard said.
Sino-Japanese ties have long been mired by the dispute over the
Japanese-controlled islands.
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Patrol ships and fighter jets from both sides regularly shadow each
other near the islands, stoking concern that an accidental collision
could trigger a clash.
Japan said in 2013 a Chinese navy vessel aimed fire control radar,
normally used to aim weapons at a target, at a Japanese navy ship in
the East China Sea, prompting Japan to protest.
China also claims most of the energy-rich South China Sea, through
which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The
Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have overlapping
claims.
(Reporting by Nathaniel Taplin in SHANGHAI, Kiyoshi Takenaka and
Lisa Twaronite in TOKYO and Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Editing by
Dean Yates and Nick Macfie)
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