China justifies coast guard's entry into Japan's territorial waters

BEIJING, Feb. 8 Kyodo - China on Monday justified the entry of its coast guard vessels into Japan's territorial waters near the Tokyo-controlled, Beijing-claimed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, saying they are the country's inherent territory. Last Monday, China put into effect the controversial legislation that allows its coast guard to use weapons against foreign ships that it sees as illegally entering its waters, sparking fears that Japanese vessels navigating around the Senkakus would be targeted. Tokyo lodged a protest with Beijing through multiple diplomatic channels on Saturday, after Chinese coast guard ships intruded into Japan's territorial waters near the Senkakus, called Diaoyu in China, for the first time since the new law took effect. Sino-Japanese relations have been often frayed by the territorial issue.