For a seventh consecutive day, Chinese surveillance vessels have made their way into the contiguous zone surrounding the Japan-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

The Japan Coast Guard says the latest incursion was by four Chinese vessels.  The contiguous zone lies just outside Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands, which are disputed by China and Taiwan.  The Coast Guard reports that the surveillance ships immediately contacted a patrol boat belonging to the 11^th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters in Naha, and informed them that the Chinese vessels were carrying out legitimate activities in the area.

Aside from the surveillance ships, a Chinese fisheries patrol boat was also spotted by the Japan Coast Guard entering the Japanese zone near the Senkakus islet of Uotsuri.  China and Taiwan claim the islands, while Japan’s declaration of sovereignty has intensified the dispute since Japan purchased and nationalized three of the Senkaku Islands last month.

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