Japan says Chinese research ship seen near disputed islets |
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Sun, 04 Feb 2007 12:35
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TOKYO (AFX) - A Japanese patrol ship today detected a Chinese research vessel in its southern territory, near disputed islands in the East China Sea, the Japan Coast Guard said.The patrol ship spotted the Chinese vessel Sunday morning, apparently carrying out surveillance activities some 30 kilometres west of Uotsuri Island, the main island in the group of rocky islets, the coast guard's spokesman said.The islets, known as the Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese, are claimed by both Japan and China.'The vessel seemed to have conducted some sort of research activities by sinking what looked like tubes and nets,' said the spokesman, stationed in the Japanese southern island prefecture of Okinawa.'We therefore told the ship to stop the activities and leave the Japanese exclusive economic zone (EEZ), but it ignored the order,' he said.The vessel was seen about 63 kilometres south-southwest of the islets shortly after 6:00 pm, he said.The Japan Coast Guard confirmed seven similar cases in which a Chinese research ship was detected in Japan's EEZ last year, the spokesman said.Japan declared the islands part of its territory in 1895, the same year it colonised Taiwan.Following World War II the tiny islands were under the control of the US, which used them for military drills, until 1972, when they were returned to Japan, together with Okinawa.In the early 1970s China and Taiwan renewed claims to the islands after oil deposits were confirmed in the area by a United Nations agency.oh/jw/rc
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