Latest news with #Suzutsuki
The Mainichi
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The Mainichi
China says it handles entry into territorial waters based on laws
BEIJING (Kyodo) -- China said Monday evening it handles the unauthorized entry into its territorial waters by foreign military vessels "in accordance with the laws," following reports that Chinese ships fired at least two warning shots at a Japanese destroyer in July last year. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said in a statement that foreign military vessels "must obtain approval" from the Chinese government before entering the country's territorial waters, without confirming whether the warning shots had been fired. According to diplomatic sources, the warning shots did not hit the Suzutsuki of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force when it inadvertently entered Chinese territorial waters off the country's eastern province of Zhejiang on July 4, 2024, despite repeated warnings. The destroyer, which was tasked with monitoring Chinese military drills on the high seas, sailed for some 20 minutes in Chinese waters, within 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) of the Zhejiang coast. The incident triggered a protest from Beijing that urged Tokyo to prevent a similar case in the future. Chinese domestic law requires foreign vessels to seek prior permission before entering the country's waters. But Tokyo maintains that the Suzutsuki's entry into Chinese territorial waters was not illegal, citing the right to innocent passage. The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea recognizes the right to allow for a vessel to pass through the territorial waters of another state unless it compromises the safety of the coastal state.
Kyodo News
2 days ago
- Business
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: Aug. 11, 2025
TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- China fired warning shots at Japan destroyer in 2024 entry: sources TOKYO - Chinese vessels fired at least two warning shots at a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer in July last year when it inadvertently entered Chinese territorial waters off the country's eastern province of Zhejiang despite repeated warnings, diplomatic sources said Sunday. The Suzutsuki was tasked with monitoring Chinese military drills on the high seas. The rare move by the Chinese vessels suggests the two Asian neighbors were in a touch-and-go situation that could have escalated into a conflict. ---------- Heavy rain cancels western Japan bullet trains, more delays expected OSAKA - Some bullet train services in western and southwestern Japan were canceled all day Sunday due to heavy rain, operator JR West said, with further disruption likely the following day. Sanyo Shinkansen Line services between Hiroshima and Hakata stations were canceled after being stopped at 1:30 p.m., the operator said. Trains between Shin-Osaka and Hiroshima were also delayed as bullet trains needed to return from Hiroshima or Okayama to Shin-Osaka. ---------- British fighter jet makes emergency landing at Kagoshima airport KAGOSHIMA, Japan - A British F-35 stealth fighter jet made an emergency landing Sunday at Kagoshima airport in southwestern Japan due to a malfunction, airport officials said. Some departures and arrivals of commercial flights at the airport were affected as a runway was closed for around 20 minutes following the incident at around 11:30 a.m., officials said. No injuries were reported. ---------- Firms believing Japan economy growing falls to 30% amid tariff woes TOKYO - Just a third of major Japanese firms said the domestic economy was continuing to grow, falling from the 71 percent that said so in January, reflecting uncertainty over the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, a Kyodo News survey showed recently. In the survey of 113 companies, just 33 percent said they expect moderate growth, while those that responded they were either "concerned" or "somewhat concerned" regarding the levies hit 68 percent. ---------- Senior China party official detained for questioning: WSJ BEIJING - A senior international liaison official of China's ruling Communist Party has been taken away by authorities for questioning, with the reason for his detention unknown, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. Liu Jianchao, head of the Communist Party's International Liaison Department and widely considered a potential candidate for China's foreign minister, was detained after returning to Beijing from a work trip abroad in late July, according to the U.S. paper. ---------- Team pulls out of Japan high school baseball c'ship amid abuse claims TOKYO - A high school baseball team has withdrawn from one of Japan's most popular national tournaments, the school's principal said Sunday, amid social media controversy over reports of abuse. The Koryo High School team's withdrawal from the annual summer national high school baseball championship follows revelations that the event's national body issued a severe reprimand in March over a case in which four students physically abused a younger boy at a dormitory in January. ---------- Japan concerned about Israeli plan to take control of Gaza City TOKYO - Japan is "strongly concerned" about Israel's decision to take control of Gaza City, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said Saturday. The minister's statement came after Israel's security cabinet approved a plan to take over the northern city of the war-torn Gaza Strip, drawing criticism from other countries and the United Nations. ---------- Football: Japan national team's record scorer Kamamoto dies at 81 OSAKA - Kunishige Kamamoto, widely regarded as the best striker in Japanese football history after scoring an all-time men's record 75 goals in 76 games, died Sunday of pneumonia, the Japan Football Association said. He was 81. The Kyoto native won the bronze medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, where he was the tournament's top scorer with seven goals, helping Japan achieve their best finish to date at the Summer Games. ---------- Video: Wet weather does not dampen spirits at Yosakoi Festival
Kyodo News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Kyodo News
China fired warning shots at Japan destroyer in 2024 entry: sources
TOKYO - Chinese vessels fired at least two warning shots at a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer in July last year when it inadvertently entered Chinese territorial waters off the country's eastern province of Zhejiang despite repeated warnings, diplomatic sources said Sunday. The Suzutsuki was tasked with monitoring Chinese military drills on the high seas. The rare move by the Chinese vessels suggests the two Asian neighbors were in a touch-and-go situation that could have escalated into a conflict. The sources said the destroyer's electronic navigational chart did not show the boundary between the high seas and other countries' territorial waters because a switch was not turned on, causing the Suzutsuki to enter Chinese waters without realizing it. Tokyo and Beijing did not use their defense hotline to communicate over the incident, raising questions about the direct line's effectiveness in crisis management. In the early morning of July 4, 2024, the Suzutsuki sailed for some 20 minutes in Chinese waters, within 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) of the coast of Zhejiang. After repeatedly urging the Japanese destroyer to change course, the Chinese vessels fired a warning shot just before the Suzutsuki entered Chinese territorial waters and another after it had crossed into the area, the sources said. One of the sources stressed the need for vessels to ensure their navigational charts display boundaries when sailing near other countries' territorial waters. The incident triggered a protest from China. Tokyo has unofficially informed Beijing that it was caused by a technical error, with the captain not aware of the destroyer's exact location, according to the sources. The MSDF later dismissed the captain for negligence. The Japanese government has not made public its findings about the incident, given that they concern operations of the Self-Defense Forces. Jun Tsuruta, associate professor of international law at Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo, said China needs to explain whether it had a "justifiable reason" to use force, as international law grants vessels the right of innocent passage through other countries' territorial waters. China regularly sends its military and coast guard vessels into Japanese territorial waters near the Tokyo-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, which Beijing claims and calls Diaoyu.
