Japan, China clash over ship 'intrusion' near Senkaku Islands in East China Sea

Tensions flared between Japan and China on Tuesday after a maritime confrontation near the disputed Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu Islands in China, with both sides claiming they had forced the other's vessels out of waters they each regard as their own.

According to Japan's coast guard, four Chinese coast guard vessels were operating near the disputed islands before two entered what Tokyo regards as its territorial waters. The ships reportedly approached a Japanese fishing vessel operating in the area.

The coast guard said it ordered the Chinese vessels to leave and "successfully" forced them out of Japanese waters by around 9:20 am local time on Tuesday, according to news agency AFP.

Japanese authorities also said coast guard vessels were deployed around the fishing boat to ensure its safety, describing the actions of the Chinese coast guard as "a violation of international law."

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"The Japan coast guard will continue to respond calmly and resolutely in accordance with international and domestic law, and will take every possible measure to ensure the security of our territorial waters," it said.

Tokyo added that although Chinese coast guard vessels regularly patrol the disputed waters, it was unusual for them to approach Japanese fishing boats.

China says it expelled Japanese fishing boat

China disputed Japan's account of the incident and said its coast guard had instead removed a Japanese fishing vessel that had entered waters claimed by Beijing.

"The Japanese fishing boat Zuihou Maru intruded into the territorial waters... CCG vessels took necessary measures to warn and expel it," China's coast guard said in a statement.

The Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu Islands in China, lie between Taiwan and Japan's Okinawa prefecture and have remained the centre of a decades-old territorial dispute between Tokyo and Beijing.

The disagreement has frequently led to maritime patrols by both countries and diplomatic protests over competing territorial claims.

Taiwan tensions add to regional strain

The latest confrontation comes against the backdrop of already strained relations between the two countries.

China has routinely sent coast guard vessels into waters surrounding the disputed islands, while Japan has repeatedly objected to what it describes as territorial incursions by Beijing.

Tensions escalated further after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in November last year that Tokyo could intervene militarily if Taiwan came under attack.

Beijing strongly criticised those remarks, maintaining that Taiwan is part of its territory and reiterating that it has not ruled out the use of force to bring the island under its control.

Following the comments, China urged its citizens to reconsider travel to Japan and imposed trade restrictions on some Japanese companies.

The East China Sea also holds strategic importance because of its proximity to Taiwan and its potential energy resources, making encounters between Chinese and Japanese vessels a recurring security concern.