TOKYO: The Japan Coast Guard said that Chinese Coast Guard vessels were spotted close to Japanese territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea for a record 112th straight day on June 4.

China claims the islands as their own and appears to be edging toward confrontation as it defies Japanese protests.

In the latest instance, four Chinese Coast Guard ships were observed off Okinawa, Japan’s southernmost prefecture, local media reported. The previous consecutive record for ships appearing in the area was 111 days last year.

As of June 3, there have been 18 instances of Chinese government vessels intruding into Japanese territorial waters this year. The Japan Coast Guard said it is using cutters to monitor the activity of the vessels. Chinese ships have frequently moved close to Japanese fishing boats.

China sharply upgraded its presence in the area after Tokyo acquired three of the five uninhabited Senkaku Islands from private ownership in September 2012.

Japanese authorities have also voiced concern about the presence of increasingly large Chinese Coast Guard ships in those waters.

The area saw 40 China’s Coast Guard vessels with a displacement of 1,000 tons or more in 2012, but that figure increased to 131 in 2020, according to an estimate by the Japan Coast Guard.

The Japan Coast Guard has only 69 cutters with a displacement of 1,000 tons or more. Chinese Coast Guard vessels are also well-armed with automatic cannons, Japanese authorities said.

Chinese officials said the Chinese Coast Guard is simply patrolling territorial waters, adding, “The Diaoyu Islands and affiliated islands are Chinese territory, so the sailing of Chinese Coast Guard ships in those waters is a valid measure based on law.”

China refers to the Senkaku Islands as the Diaoyu Islands.

The dispute has been straining Tokyo’s relations with Beijing. Japan’s military ally, the United States, said it will protect the islands for Japan but said the United States is not in a position to decide which country has sovereignty over the islands.