China Coast Guard Patrolled Japan-Held Islands Almost Daily Last Year as Tensions Flare

A China Coast Guard vessel sails near a Japan Coast Guard vessel around a group of disputed islands called Senkaku Islands in Japan, also known in China as Diaoyu Islands, September 14, 2025. Hitoshi Nakama/Handout via REUTERS
With Reuters

By Colleen Howe

China’s coast guard patrolled Japan-administered islands in the East China Sea almost daily last year, it said on Friday, aiming to secure its sovereignty over the remote, rocky outpost and to deter Taiwan from taking steps toward independence.

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