Chinese ship suspected of marine survey in Japan EEZ off Senkakus

NAHA — A Chinese survey ship was spotted Tuesday having lowered a pipe-like object in waters within Japan's exclusive economic zone off the Senkaku Islands, southwestern Japan, the coast guard said.

The Japan Coast Guard said its patrol ship urged the Chinese vessel to stop its activity, suspecting that it was a survey conducted without Japan's prior consent.

The uninhabited islets in Okinawa Prefecture in the East China Sea are administered by Japan but claimed by China, with Chinese ships frequently observed in waters around them.

The coast guard also observed the Chinese ship conducting a survey around the waters last Wednesday and Saturday.

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