Japanese destroyer 'Suzutsuki' trespasses Chinese territorial waters
According to a report by Kyodo News citing Japanese diplomatic sources, the captain of the Japanese destroyer "Suzutsuki" has been dismissed by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) after the ship entered Chinese territorial waters near Zhejiang province on July. 4, ignoring multiple warnings from China.
Japan communicated the incident to China through unofficial channels, describing the incursion as a "serious mistake."
The captain had taken command in May this year. On the morning of July 4, the "Suzutsuki" sailed within 12 nautical miles (approximately 22 kilometers) of the coast of Zhejiang province for about 20 minutes. The captain claimed he was unaware that the ship had entered Chinese territorial waters.
An investigation by the Japanese side also found that there were issues with how the crew communicated information to the captain, and several crew members who failed to perform their duties properly are set to be disciplined.
This marks the first time since the establishment of the JMSDF in 1954 that a Japanese warship has entered Chinese territorial waters without notifying China.
Following the incident, Japan initially argued that its warship's entry into Chinese waters was "innocent passage" in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China has made serious representations regarding the incident.
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