Tokyo: China’s Coast Guard confirmed that a formation of its vessels, including patrol ship 1307, conducted a “rights enforcement patrol” through the waters surrounding the Senkaku Islands which Beijing refers to as the Diaoyu Islands. The Chinese statement insisted the mission was lawful, asserting that the ships remained “within the territorial waters” of what it claims as China’s sovereign territory.
From Tokyo’s perspective, the move adds fresh strain to an already tense bilateral relationship. Japan administers the Senkaku chain, but China’s regular maritime operations around these islands are seen in Tokyo as deliberate tools of pressure and provocation particularly as Chinese coast guard activity has surged in recent years.
The latest patrol comes only days after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made a forceful declaration in Parliament, saying Japan might respond militarily in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan comments that drew immediate and harsh criticism from Beijing. In turn, China’s consul-general in Osaka used sharply aggressive language, prompting Japan to issue a formal diplomatic protest.
Meanwhile, broader regional tensions are flaring. Taiwan’s defense ministry reported detecting about 30 Chinese aircraft and seven naval vessels operating near its shores in a so-called “joint combat patrol,” reflecting China’s growing coercive posture in multiple theatres.
This coast guard operation by Beijing is more than symbolic: it aligns with a long-term strategy of gradually normalizing Chinese maritime presence around the contested islets, using grey-zone tactics that fall short of open warfare yet significantly ratchet up pressure. Observers note that while using coast guard not navy vessels keeps the patrols legally ambiguous, the consistent deployment of such formations signals a serious intent to assert Chinese claims.
For Japan, the challenge now is twofold: manage the diplomatic fallout without triggering a cycle of escalation, and find ways to deter future intrusions without drifting into open conflict. Tokyo may increase its surveillance and coast guard presence, lodge further protests, and perhaps lean more heavily on allies to counterbalance China’s maritime assertiveness.
In the wider Indo-Pacific context, this incident underscores growing volatility in East Asian waters as China links its pressure on Japan to its strategy on Taiwan, and as both Tokyo and Taipei face a more assertive Beijing that is testing the limits of deterrence and engagement.