China has initiated a potentially dangerous escalation of activities around the Japan-controlled Senkaku Islands, entering the area around the chain — which Beijing claims as the Diaoyu — for the apparent reason of territorial defense.
On May 3, a helicopter took off from a China Coast Guard vessel that had entered Japanese territorial waters. A Japan Coast Guard patrol boat confirmed the sighting and issued a warning. Japan Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets scrambled from Naha Air Base in Okinawa prefecture.
