TOKYO, AUG 31 : The Japanese Defense Ministry accused a Chinese hydrographic survey vessel of briefly entering Japanese territorial waters off the Kagoshima Prefecture on Saturday morning.

“It was confirmed on August 31 that a Chinese military hydrographic ship entered our country’s territorial waters southeast of the Kuchinoerabu Island,” the ministry wrote on X.

Tokyo lodged a protest with Beijing through diplomatic channels, saying that it was the 10th such case since last September, the ministry added.

Earlier this week, the Japanese Defense Ministry expressed its concern over a Chinese military reconnaissance aircraft Y9 violating Japanese airspace in the area of the Goto Islands in the Sea of Japan. The Chinese military aircraft was in Japanese airspace for two minutes, prompting the Japanese air force to scramble fighter jets.(UNI)