Parts of the disputed Senkaku islands, as known in Japan, or Diaoyu, as known in China (file photo)
Japan says China has sent three surveillance ships to the East China Sea amid the territorial dispute between Tokyo and Beijing over a group of uninhabited islands.
Japanâ„¢s coast guard said on Saturday that three Chinese maritime surveillance vessels entered the 12-nautical-mile zone off Uotsurijima, one of the Senkaku islands, which China calls the Diaoyus, in the East China Sea shortly after 9:30 am (0030 GMT)
On February 5, Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said a Chinese frigate directed its weapon-targeting radar at a Japanese vessel in the international waters of the East China Sea on January 30.
Onodera also stated that on January 19 another Chinese frigate targeted a Japanese military helicopter with a similar type of radar.
On February 7, the Japanese defense minister said the radar-lock Å“may amount to a threat of military force under the UN Charter.”
The Chinese Defense Ministry has denied the allegations.
The Chinese Defense Ministry said in a statement on February 8 that on both January 19 and January 30, Chinaâ„¢s ship-board radar carried out normal operations and Å“fire-control radar was not used.” According to the statement, remarks made by the Japanese side were Å“against the facts.”
Å“Japan unilaterally made public untrue information to the media and senior Japanese government officials made irresponsible remarks that hyped up the so-called China threat,” the statement added.
Japan and China have long been in a dispute over the sovereignty of the uninhabited islands, which are located near a crucial shipping lane and would give their owner exclusive oil, mineral, and fishing rights in the surrounding waters.
The disputed islands are controlled by Japan and form part of Okinawa prefecture.
Tensions heightened between the two countries after Japan signed a deal on September 11, 2012 to buy three of the islands from their private Japanese owner in line with plans to nationalize the archipelago.
MSH/HN
This article originally appeared on: Press TV