The Japan Coast Guard on Thursday blocked two fishing vessels carrying 20 Chinese activists attempting to land on the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
The two vessels briefly entered Japanese territorial waters about 22 km west of the uninhabited isles around 6:40 p.m., according to officials of the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters based in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture.
They said the vessels left the waters after about an hour. The Chinese vessels are believed to have abandoned their plan to land on the islands due to the sunset and the presence of the coast guard, which used loudspeakers to urge them to leave, they said.
Japan, China and Taiwan claim the islands, known as the Diaoyu Islands in China and the Tiaoyutais in Taiwan. They are located between Taiwan and the main island of Okinawa.