Japan Coast Guard District 11 on Aug. 6, 2016, released photos of Chinese maritime police vessels that were photographed that morning sailing in the waters off the Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu Islands).
Japanese government sources said Saturday (March 13) that China informed The Japanese side in late February that Beijing was “exercising self-restraint” on Japanese Coast Guard patrol boats and Japanese fishing boats operating near the Senkaku Islands (known as the Diaoyu Islands in China). This is the first Time China has revealed its policy on the use of the Maritime Police Law since it came into force.
But China also told the Japanese side that it would not stop preventing Japanese vessels from entering the waters around the islands, including the so-called contiguous zone outside Japanese waters.
China’s maritime police law, which took effect Feb. 1, authorizes the Chinese maritime police to use lethal force against foreign vessels in waters over which China claims sovereignty. The enactment of China’s maritime police law has drawn strong criticism and concern from the Japanese and U.S. governments.
Japan responded to China’s promulgation of the maritime police law by saying that China’s claim is unacceptable and insisted that there is no territorial sovereignty issue to be resolved over the Senkaku Islands. Japan maintains its sovereignty over the Senkaku.
Analysts believe that China’s disclosure to Japan of its enforcement guidelines for the maritime police law may be intended to avoid an occasional conflict that could worsen the situation.
The Japanese government said last month that Japan may implement “hazard shots” against foreign official ships trying to land on the Senkakus.
Japanese Coast Guard chief Takahiro Oshima said at a press conference last month that Japan would not rule out the use of force in the territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands in response to China’s recent implementation of the Marine Police Law.
After the implementation of China’s maritime police law, Chinese maritime police ships have entered the waters around the Senkaku Islands several times. Japanese media Kyodo News quoted data from the Japan Coast Guard, the Chinese Coast Guard Law came into effect on February 1 to March 12, the Chinese Coast Guard Bureau official ships sailed into the territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands on six days, a total of 14 ships. Each time they entered the territorial waters, Japan protested to the Chinese side through diplomatic channels.
Hong Kong‘s South China Morning Post reported that 1,157 Chinese vessels entered the contiguous zone around the Senkaku Islands in the past year, ranging from 12 to 24 nautical miles, an increase of at least 5 percent year-on-year and almost three times the number in 2012.
The increase in Chinese maritime patrols and air force activity comes at a time when Japan is investing more in military development. The military publication Jane’s Defense Weekly (Janes) reported that the Japanese government partnered with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in February to develop a hypersonic missile system for the Japanese Self-Defense Force (SDF) that is capable of traveling five times the speed of sound. The initial focus was on developing the missile’s supercombustion ram engine. Meanwhile, Japan’s defense budget for fiscal year 2021, which begins in April, is expected to increase for the ninth consecutive year, to about $51 billion.
Analysts note that the sovereignty dispute over a series of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea has led to escalating tensions between Japan and China, increasing the risk of a miscalculation in the region. Analysts believe it is important for all parties to intensify efforts to stabilize the situation through common procedures and regular dialogue that are accepted by all parties.
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