Japan is considering sending its armed forces to counter Chinese muscle-flexing near a group of islands, claimed by both the countries, in the East China sea. The Chinese Coast Guard, after being empowered by a new law that allows it to fire at foreign ships that Beijing sees as illegally entering its waters, has been increasingly seen in the waters off the Senkaku Islands that are controlled by Japan.
According to Japan’s Coast Guard, the frequency of Chinese vessels transgressing into Japanese waters significantly went up last month.
Tokyo voiced its concerns during a ‘2+2’ meeting between Japanese and British foreign and defence ministers last month.
Responding to Japan’s complaints about the transgressions, the Chinese foreign ministry said that the action by its patrols were in line with its sovereignty claims. “There are functioning and effective communication channels between the Chinese and Japanese sides. We hope the Japanese side can meet us halfway to properly manage such sensitive issues.”
