(From Reuters)
Japan said on Tuesday that it has told China that any foreign naval vessel that enters Japanese territorial waters for reasons other than “innocent passage” will be told to leave by a Japanese naval patrol, signaling a potential escalation in a long-running maritime dispute.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference 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.
Japan’s government, Suga said, had approved this course of action last May.
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”. Read More