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Mr. Kenichiro Sasae, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, lodges a protest against Mr. Cheng Yonghua, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Japan

July 11, 2012
Japanese

1. On Wednesday, July 11, at shortly after 10:00 a.m., Mr. Kenichiro Sasae, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs summoned H.E. Mr. Cheng Yonghua, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to Japan, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs based on a directive from Mr. Koichiro Gemba, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and lodged a protest against Ambassador Cheng regarding the entry of patrol ships into Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands early that morning.
   
   
2. Vice-Minister Sasae stated the following points:
   
   (1)  Despite warnings from the Japanese authorities concerned, patrol ships of China's Fishery Agency, Yuzheng 202, Yuzheng 204 and Yuzheng 35001, entered into Japan's territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands that morning, asserting China's own claims about Senkaku islands. Japan does not consider these navigation of these vessels to be innocent passage recognized under international laws and cannot accept it. Along with lodging a strong protest, Japan demands that recurrences be prevented.
   
   (2)  In particular, when a Chinese official vessel entered Japan's territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands in March this year Japan strongly requested no further recurrences of such incidents. Nonetheless, it is very much regrettable that China patrol ships once again entered Japan's territorial waters.
   
   
3. In response, Ambassador Cheng stated that he will report on Vice-Minister Sasae's protest to his home country. He also expressed China's own claim regarding the Senkaku Islands, and mentioned the importance of mutual understanding in diplomatic channels.
   
   
4. Vice-Minister Sasae responded by reiterating the basic position of Japan with regard to the Senkaku Islands, and by asking that the Chinese side prevents an incident like this from ever happening again.

• (*The foregoing is a provisional translation. The date indicated above denotes the date of issue of the original press release in Japanese.)

Related Information (The Basic View on the Sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands)
Related Information (Japan-China Relations)