Two Chinese government ships enter Japan's waters off Senkaku Islands
The Japan Coast Guard says the vessels moved into the waters off Uotsuri Island at around 12:52 a.m. and around 12:53 a.m., and tried to approach a Japanese fishing boat there.
Coast guard officials are monitoring the ships and warning them to immediately leave Japan's waters.
They say the vessels are equipped with cannons. As of 1 a.m., one was navigating about 21 kilometers south-southwest of Uotsuri Island and the other about 21 kilometers west-southwest of the island. The officials say both were sailing in the north-northeasterly direction.
The coast guard has deployed patrol vessels around the Japanese fishing boat to ensure its safety.
Chinese government ships were last confirmed entering Japanese territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands on July 9.
Japan controls the islands. China and Taiwan claim them. The Japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory in terms of history and international law. It says there is no issue of sovereignty to be resolved over them.
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