Defense & Security

China Coast Guard Ship Leaves Waters Near Senkaku Islands; No CCG Vessels Are in Area

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
A Chinese Coast Guard ship sails in a contiguous zone around the Senkaku Islands in January 2023.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:52 JST, July 24, 2024

The 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters in Naha said a China Coast Guard ship that was sailing off Kubashima Island of the Senkaku islets left the contiguous zone around the island on Tuesday, bringing the number of CCG vessels in the area to zero.

The regional headquarters said the Chinese ship left the contiguous zone of the Senkakus, which are in Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, around 4:10 p.m. on Tuesday.

A contiguous zone is a 22 kilometer-wide area of the sea outside territorial waters.

Until then, CCG vessels had sailed inside contiguous zones around the Senkakus for 215 days in a row as of Tuesday. It set a new longest record for the period of time in which CCG ships entered the contiguous zones off the Senkakus.

It is highly possible that the ship left the area because of stormy weather conditions due to the approach of Typhoon No. 3.