TOKYO – Japan’s Defence Ministry today said a submarine believed to be from China was spotted in waters near its southern islands, as maritime tensions persist in the Pacific.
The Japanese navy on Friday morning identified a submerged vessel sailing northwest just outside territorial waters near Amami Oshima Island, part of Kagoshima prefecture, said the ministry in a statement.
A Chinese destroyer was also spotted in the vicinity.
Tokyo has complained of numerous intrusions by Chinese vessels into its territorial waters and near disputed islands in recent years.
China has often reacted angrily to United States ships sailing through disputed areas of the South China Sea in what Washington calls “displays of freedom of navigation”.
Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi, visiting Vietnam during a Southeast Asia trip, said the two countries should refrain from unilateral actions regarding the South China Sea that could complicate and magnify disputes.
Today’s announcement said Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force identified the vessels in a contiguous zone, which is outside territorial waters where ships are required to identify themselves.
Still, Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi instructed his staff to “gather information and maintain vigilant surveillance with a sense of urgency”, said the statement.
Officials at the Chinese embassy could not immediately be reached for comment today.
The submarine continued underwater westward in the ocean near Yokoate Island, said the ministry. –Reuters, September 12, 2021
