News On Japan via Japan Today — Oct 25

Four Chinese government ships entered territorial waters around disputed Tokyo-controlled islands early Thursday, the Japan Coast Guard said.

Three maritime surveillance vessels entered the 12-nautical-mile zone around one of the islands in the East China Sea shortly after 6:30 a.m., the coast guard said in a statement. Another surveillance ship joined them one hour later.The four Chinese vessels were off Minamikojima, one of the islands in a chain known as the Senkakus in Japan and the Diaoyus in China.Separately, two fisheries patrol ships were spotted in so-called contiguous waters, which extend a further 12 nautical miles, of another island in the chain, the coast guard said.