TOKYO – As many as 2,000 Chinese fishing boats gathered near Japan’s exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea twice in recent months, adding to the intensifying pressure on Tokyo from Beijing’s maritime and coast guard activity in the region.
The vessels were near the Japan-China median line that Tokyo uses to define the boundary of its EEZ in the East China Sea. The first incident, around Dec. 25, involved about 2,000 boats making a reverse L-shaped formation spanning 470 kilometers north to south and 230 km east to west. The second, around Jan. 11, had 1,300 boats over a line stretching 370 km north to south.
Nikkei examined the formations using automatic identification system data and satellite images. Analysis of the vessels’ AIS data shows that both formations were situated at about 125 degrees east longitude. They remained there for more than 24 hours.
The formations were much larger than a previous incident in 2016 that involved around 200 to 300 Chinese boats gathering near the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands, which China claims as the Diaoyu.
“I’ve never heard of such a huge mobilization before,” said Kyushu University international relations professor Chisako Masuo, an expert on Chinese maritime policy. “It could be seen as putting pressure on Japan and Taiwan.”
No more fishes in the sea ;_;
