Three Chinese coastguard ships on Sunday remained near disputed waters around a set of islands controlled by Tokyo but claimed by both countries after entering the contested zone a day earlier, Japan's coastguard said. Four Chinese coastguard vessels have stayed in the area in the past several days, with three of them sailing into the territorial waters shortly after 5:00 pm (0800 GMT) on Saturday, the Japanese coastguard said.
It was the latest in a series of incursions by Chinese government ships in recent months around the Senkaku islands, which Beijing claims as the Diaoyus. The dispute has been cited as a potential flashpoint that may even lead to armed conflict between the Asian giants. All the ships left the 12-nautical-mile band of waters by 11:00 pm, with three sailing into the contiguous zone on Sunday, the agency said.