Tokyo warns Beijing for hundreds of ships in East China Sea

In this photo released by the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters of Japan, a Chinese coast guard vessel sails near disputed East China Sea islands Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016. Japan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement it filed the protest after Japan’s coast guard spotted the vessels Saturday along with a fleet of 230 Chinese fishing boats swarming around the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands. China also claims the islands, calling them the Diaoyu. (11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters via AP)

On August 8, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga accused Beijing of 14 violations throughout the past weekend, Sputnik reports.

Suga said that Japan’s Coast Guard will work with other national agencies to respond to developments. The Japanese Defense Minister, Tomomi Inada, also added that air raids over Chinese vessels will be conducted.

On August 7, the Chinese State Oceanic Administration (SOA) reported two Coast Guard ships conducting raids near Diaoyudao Islands, the Chinese name for the Senkaku Islands. A day earlier, some 230 Chinese fishing boats had been spotted in the same area by the Japanese side, causing Tokyo’s sharp response.

According to Japanese authorities, 14 Chinese ships have sailed into the waters near the Senkaku since Friday, and 12 remain there as of Monday. Additionally, Japan discovered Chinese surface radar on a gas drilling platform on the southeast border of the region, said to be designed to detect ships, Sputnik reported.