Japan protests China’s work on new structure in East China Sea

TOKYO – The Japanese government lodged a protest with China over its work to build a new structure in the East China Sea, as tensions between the two Asian nations simmer amid ongoing military drills.

The Japanese government identified Chinese activity to install a new structure on the western side of the Japan-China median line in the East China Sea, according to a statement released on April 20 by Japan’s Foreign Ministry.

“In a situation where there is no clear border laid down in the exclusive economic zones or continental shelves of the East China Sea, it is deeply regrettable that the Chinese side is unilaterally developing the area, and that we have identified movements to install a new structure,” the statement said. 

Mr Masaaki Kanai, a senior Foreign Ministry official, lodged a protest with Mr Shi Yong, the Chinese charge d’affaires ad interim in Japan, and called on China to restart international negotiations regarding the development of the area, according to the statement.

Relations between Japan and China have been tense in recent months after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in November that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan might constitute a legal justification for Japan to deploy troops. China has since retaliated with economic measures that include trade curbs and travel warnings, and accused Japan of reviving militarism. 

China said on April 17 that the presence of a Japanese Self-Defense Force vessel in the Taiwan Strait is provocative and has sent a group of warships to hold drills in the western Pacific Ocean. That move comes as Japan for the first time joins massive exercises under way in the Philippines that also include US forces.

Japan issued a similar protest at the start of 2026 after it detected that China had deployed a mobile drilling vessel in an area in the East China Sea known for gas reserves. Bloomberg