Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a press conference that since China passed a new law that allows its coastguard to use military force in any waters the country claims, Chinese Coast Guard vessels were spotted inside the contiguous area surrounding Japanese territorial waters around the Senkakus for 26 days.

These vessels entered Japanese territorial waters six times, during which they approached Japanese fishing vessels on five occasions, Kato said. Many Chinese vessels appeared to be armed with cannon-like weapons, which forced Japan to raise its warning of possible risks.

Under the interpretation of existing laws, Japan’s Coast Guard could directly fire a weapon against foreign official vessels aiming to land on the Senkaku Islands.