Japan Protests China's Demand to Halt Survey in EEZ

The Chinese Coast Guard has urged Japanese Coast Guard vessels to stop marine surveys within Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the East China Sea. This Chinese demand has prompted Tokyo to lodge a protest with Beijing.

The Japanese Coast Guard stated on Wednesday that their survey vessel, Takuyo, had received repeated requests since Tuesday (30/6) at approximately 10:00 PM local time to cease marine surveys and leave the waters located about 290 kilometres northwest of the main island of Okinawa, southern Japan.

According to the Coast Guard, the Takuyo responded that their research—which involves seabed surveys related to the continental shelf—is a “legitimate activity in accordance with international law.”

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara stated during a press conference that Japan has lodged a protest with China through diplomatic channels.

Kihara also asserted that the demands to halt the marine surveys are unacceptable as the activities are being conducted within Japan’s EEZ.

“We are firmly determined to protect our territory, territorial waters, airspace, and our nation’s sovereign rights,” said Kihara, the government’s primary spokesperson, adding that Japan would respond to this issue with a “firm and calm” attitude.

This development occurs amidst ongoing tensions between the two nations following statements made by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in parliament last November, which suggested that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a response from the Japan Self-Defence Forces to support the United States military.

In recent years, Japan has repeatedly observed Chinese survey vessels lowering cable-like objects into the waters near the Senkaku Islands—uninhabited islands in the East China Sea controlled by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing.