Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshige Seko said the around 3:30 a.m., June 15th (Wednesday), a P-3C patrol aircraft of the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) observed a Dongdiao-class intelligence collection vessel of the Chinese Navy sailing down Japanese territorial waters at the west of Kuchinoerabu Island (Kagoshima Prefecture) southeastward.

Subsequently, around 5:00 a.m., the MSDF observed the Chinese vessel exiting Japanese territorial waters at the south of Yakushima Island and sailing southeastward.

“The government will continue to take all possible measures for warning and surveillance activity for our territorial waters and airspace,” Seko told a news conference.

Last week, Japan summoned the Chinese ambassador to express concern after a Chinese navy ship sailed close to what Japan considers its territorial waters in the East China Sea for the first time, increasing tensions over the disputed area.