Japan's Coast Guard says four Chinese ships have sailed into the territorial waters off the disputed islands in the East China Sea.
The Chinese vessels entered Japan-controlled waters of the Senkaku islands (known as Diaoyu by China) on Tuesday, the coast guard said.
This came on the 64th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, a day marked by a public holiday in the country.
Tokyo has long been engaged in a dispute with Beijing over the sovereignty of the uninhabited islands.
The incident also came as US Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel are expected to meet their Japanese counterparts in Tokyo on Thursday.
The ministers will discuss about operational arrangements for the alliance between the two sides.
On September 27, China sent a fleet of four vessels for patrolling territorial waters surrounding the disputed chain of islands.
Japan's coastguard said on September 14 that four Chinese ships had entered its territorial waters.
On September 11, 2012, Tokyo signed a deal to buy three of the islands from their private Japanese owner in line with plans to nationalize the archipelago.
The islands are located near a crucial shipping lane and give the owner exclusive oil, mineral and fishing rights in the surrounding waters.
Last month, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that his country is ready to talk to Japan over the maritime row if Tokyo declares the islands to be disputed.
In late April 2013, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tokyo would “expel by force” any Chinese individuals landing on the islands, following an incident during which eight Chinese vessels entered the disputed waters.
Credit to Global Security
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