China coast guard enters disputed waters in the East China Sea

The Chinese coast guard said it patrolled the territorial waters of the Diaoyu Islands on Thursday to conduct "right protection" cruises.

The East China Sea islets are claimed by both China and Japan, which calls them the Senkaku Islands, and have long been a sticking point in bilateral ties. Japan's Coast Guard separately said in a bulletin that it was repeatedly urging the four Chinese coast guard vessels to leave "our territorial waters".

It is the first time for Chinese coast guard vessels to enter the waters since Dec. 18, according to Japan's Coast Guard.