China entered Japan's contiguous waters for first time: Defence Ministry

Tokyo/Taipei: A Chinese aircraft carrier entered Japan's contiguous waters for the first time on Wednesday, Japan's defence ministry said, the latest in a string of military manoeuvres that has ratcheted up tensions between the neighbours.

The carrier, accompanied by two destroyers, sailed between Japan's southern Yonaguni and Iriomote islands, entering an area that extends up to 24 nautical miles from its coastline where Japan can exert some controls as defined by the United Nations.

Japan last month lodged a protest with China after one of its naval survey vessels entered Japanese waters, shortly after an airspace breach. In July, a Japanese navy destroyer made a rare entry into China's territorial waters near Taiwan, according to the Japanese media.

An uptick in Chinese military activity near Japan and around Taiwan in recent years has stoked concerns in Tokyo. Japan has responded with a defence buildup it says aims to deter Beijing from using military force to push its territorial claims in the region.

Earlier on Wednesday, Taiwan's defence ministry said it had spotted the same Chinese aircraft carrier group sailing through waters off its east coast in the direction of Yonaguni, Japan's southernmost island, which is about 110 km (69 miles) east of Taiwan.

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its territory, has been staging regular exercises around the island for five years to pressure it to accept Beijing's claim of sovereignty, despite Taipei's strong objections.

The ministry said the Chinese ships, led by Liaoning, the oldest of China's three aircraft carriers, were spotted in the early hours of the morning on Wednesday sailing through waters to the northeast of Taiwan.

Taiwan tracked the ships and sent its forces to monitor, it said. China's defence ministry did not answer calls seeking comment.