Japan Vigilant against Increased Chinese Ship Provocations

June 27, 2018

Tokyo- Japan's Defense Ministry is vigilant against a possible escalation of provocative acts by Chinese coast guard ships as they are being placed under control of China's military, officials said Tuesday.

The Chinese People's Armed Police Force, a quasi-military group of the Communist Party of China's Central Military Commission, is scheduled to absorb the coast guard on Sunday, the officials said.

Chinese coast guard ships often approach and enter Japanese waters off the Senkaku Islands, a group of islets in the East China Sea administered by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing.

A senior ministry official predicted there would be "a provocative act by a warship in the guise of a Chinese government ship."

"The possibility of creating a situation close to an armed attack will further increase," the official said.

"We're paying close attention to organizational changes in the China Coast Guard and the Chinese People's Armed Police Force, their influences and progress in China's military reform," Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera told a news conference.

"We'll adamantly protect our country's territory and territorial waters and airspace while remaining calm to prevent an escalation of tensions," Onodera said.

It is unclear whether the Senkakus are covered by a communication mechanism Japan and China introduced earlier this month to avoid unintended military clashes between the two countries at sea and in the sky. Jiji Press