Japan’s coast guard says a Chinese research vessel, the Kexue, leaves Tokyo’s exclusive economic zone after repeated warnings to stop research activities. The Japanese side says the ship was first spotted on September 27 about 70 kilometres north of Ishigaki island, and that it periodically extended wire-like objects into the sea. Japan says its orders to halt the operations were issued multiple times before the vessel departed.
Channel NewsAsia and the Hong Kong Free Press both report Japan’s account of the incident and the coast guard’s description of the vessel’s behavior. Free Malaysia Today similarly describes Japan’s protest and the subsequent departure, aligning with Japan’s claim that the operations were unauthorized. The sources differ mainly in emphasis and phrasing, with some focusing on the coast guard’s warnings and others on the ship’s reported actions while in the zone.
The reports provide Japan’s perspective but do not include an explanation from China or independent verification of what activities the Kexue was conducting during the episode. They agree, however, that the dispute concerns survey research conducted in Japan’s EEZ and that Japan orders prompted the ship to leave.
