Japan has formally lodged a protest with China following the incursion of a Chinese naval survey vessel into its territorial waters on Saturday, marking the second such incident within a week.
This increase in Chinese military activities near Japan and Taiwan has heightened concerns in Tokyo, prompting the country to bolster its defense capabilities as a deterrent against Beijing's territorial ambitions in the region.
The Chinese vessel was detected off the coast of Kagoshima Prefecture in southwestern Japan around 6 a.m. local time on Saturday and exited Japanese waters within two hours, according to Japan's defense ministry.
In response, Tokyo expressed its "strong concern and protest" to a Chinese embassy official, highlighting the seriousness of the situation.
This incident follows a similar breach earlier in the week, when a Chinese military aircraft violated Japanese airspace. Japan had already conveyed to Chinese diplomats that this airspace violation was "utterly unacceptable."
This is the 13th such occurrence in the past year, according to reports from national broadcaster NHK.