Coast Guards from Japan and China exchange threats near an archipelago disputed by both countries

Chinese Coast Guard ship sails through the archipelago that the country disputes with Japan
Reuters
The Coast Guards of Japan and China exchanged threats in an incident that occurred this Tuesday (7) near a group of islands disputed by the two countries. Each stated that they repelled their rival's military vessels, in a context of great bilateral diplomatic tension.
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The escalation of tensions occurred around the Senkaku Islands, administered by Japan, but also claimed by China. The islands, called Diaoyu by the Chinese, are uninhabited and are located in the East China Sea, between the Japanese city of Okinawa and the island of Taiwan.
The Japanese Coast Guard said in a statement that it intercepted and expelled two Chinese Coast Guard (GCC) vessels that approached a Japanese fishing site in the region.
The Japanese maritime surveillance body "issued withdrawal orders (...) and managed to force the Coast Guard vessels to withdraw Chinese territorial waters", says a statement.
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The note highlighted that four Chinese vessels sailed through the area before two of them entered Japanese waters. The Japanese body also stated that the GCC's activities constitute "a violation of international law".
The Chinese Coast Guard, however, gave another version of the incident. A few hours after Japan's statement, the Chinese body announced that it had forced the Japanese fishing vessel to move away from the vicinity of the islands.
Subsequently, the Chinese Coast Guard reported in its statement that the "Japanese fishing vessel Zuihou Maru entered Chinese territorial waters" and that "GCC ships took the necessary warning measures and to expel it."
The two countries have an old dispute over the islands, which represent a source of bilateral tensions.
At the end of 2025, the two countries were at the height of a diplomatic crisis after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from the country shortly after being elected.

Source: G1