(MENAFN) The China Coast Guard (CCG) announced on Friday that it forced a Japanese fishing vessel out of what Beijing claims as its territorial waters, according to state-run media reports.

The fishing boat was removed from the Chiwei Yu area on Wednesday, a news agency, based in Beijing, reported. The statement referenced Liu Dejun, a spokesperson for the CCG.

Liu demanded that Japan halt all “illegal” activities in these waters immediately, emphasizing that Diaoyu Dao (known in Japan as the Senkaku Islands) and its surrounding islets belong inherently to China.

“The CCG will continue to carry out law enforcement operations in waters under China's jurisdiction to safeguard the country's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” Liu said.

This incident follows Japan’s formal protest filed against China for “unusual” encounters between their military aircraft, with Tokyo warning about the risk of accidental collisions.

Japan stated that on July 9-10, Chinese military planes “made unusual close approaches toward (Japanese) Air Self-Defense Force aircraft conducting surveillance and monitoring operations over the East China Sea.”

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