Japan has expressed its concerns to Beijing over the presence of nearly Chinese coastguard ships and nearly 230 fishing vessels in the waters near the disputed islets in the East China Sea, which both countries are claiming as their territory.  

This comes amid rising tensions between China and other Asian countries, less than a month after the Permanent Court of Arbitration dismissed China's claims of sovereignty in the South China Sea, in a case brought by the Philippines.

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Beijing has since refused to accept the ruling by the UN-backed tribunal but Japan has urged China to adhere to the court's decision, prompting warnings from Beijing to Tokyo over its interference in the dispute.

Japan's foreign ministry issued a statement on Friday protesting the presence of Chinese coastguard ships and fishing vessels in the waters surrounding the Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands and called on the ships to leave the area immediately, according to Reuters.

"This is a unilateral act that raises tensions ... and it is unacceptable to us," the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau director-general, Kenji Kanasugi, told the Chinese Embassy in Japan, the ministry said, according to The Japan Times.

China and Japan have been involved in a territorial dispute over the uninhabited islands, which are known as the Diaoyu Island in China.

On Friday, China accused Japan's new defense minister, Tomomi Inada, of recklessly misrepresenting history after she evaded questions about her stance on the Nanjing massacre, a World War II episode during which Japanese troops killed thousands of civilians in China, according to China.org.

TagsJapan, china, East China Sea, East China Sea dispute, East China Sea islands, Senkaku Islands, Chinese vessels, South China Sea