Japan said on Tuesday it has told China that any foreign naval vessel that enters Japanese waters for reasons other than “innocent passage” will be told to leave by a Japanese naval patrol, signalling a potential escalation in a long-running dispute.
Japan had informed China of its decision in November, after Chinese navy ships sailed near disputed isles in the East China Sea known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference.
Japan’s government, Suga said, had approved the course of action last May.
“If a foreign naval vessel transits our waters for (purposes) other than ‘innocent passage’, we will order a sea patrol and take the step of having the Self-Defense Force unit order withdrawal,” Suga told a news conference.
Japan refers to its military as a Self-Defense Force.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei, asked about the remarks, said China was determined to protect its territory, repeating its standard line that the islands had been Chinese “since ancient times”.
“At the same time we do not want to see a rise in tensions in the East China Sea and are willing to appropriately manage, control and resolve the issue via dialogue and consultations,” Hong told a daily news briefing in Beijing. Suga’s comments followed a Yomiuri newspaper report that Japanese navy ships would be sent to urge Chinese naval ships to leave if they came within about 22 km (12 nautical miles) of the islands for reasons other than “innocent passage”.