A Chinese warship was reportedly seen near disputed islands in the East China Sea for the first time on Thursday, sparking protests from Japan.

Japanese officials said in a statement that a Chinese navy frigate was seen near the Senkaku Islands, which is controlled by Japan.

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Beijing has also laid claims to the same islands, which are referred to as the Djaoyu islands in China. Although the navy frigate was spotted in the area, China did not violate the territorial waters of Japan and has since left the disputed waters.

However, Japan's foreign ministry and coast guard claim that Chinese coast guard ships have been violating the territorial waters since Japan nationalized the ownership of the islands in 2012. In December last year, an armed Chinese coast guard vessel was seen for the first time in the area.

Chinese coast guard vessels patrol the area habitually but it was the first time that a warship from China was seen there. China said in a statement that it has the rights to sail through the waters near the islands since it is also its territory.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga has criticized Beijing for escalating tension in the region. Suga said that Japan is increasingly concerned because of the warship sighting and will protect the islands by any means necessary.

Japan's defense ministry said that the naval frigate entered a protected zone that is located northeast of Kuba island, which is part of the disputed Senkakus Islands. The Chinese warship remained in the area for around two-and-a-half hours.

The Japanese defense ministry claims that three Russian battleships were also seen in the contiguous zone. The ships reportedly entered at around 9:50 p.m. on Wednesday and left at around 3:05 a.m. on Thursday. This is not the first time, however, that Russian ships have entered the disputed waters.

Suga said that Japan is now investigating whether China and Russia's entrance in the disputed islands are in any way related. 

TagsEast China Sea dispute, South China Sea Dispute, Japan, china, china warship, Chinese warship, East China Sea