Overview

• Japan’s foreign ministry said it detected a new Chinese structure west of the median line in overlapping EEZ waters and called the move extremely regrettable.
• The ministry accused China of positioning 21 suspected drilling rigs and warned that gas on the Japanese side could be siphoned.
• Director-general Kanai Masaaki lodged a strong protest with Chinese embassy official Shi Yong in Tokyo.
• Tokyo urged the immediate resumption of negotiations to implement the 2008 joint-development agreement, which has been dormant since 2010 after a fishing boat collision.
• China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to the protest, and Beijing has previously said its activities are in waters under its jurisdiction.