During this period, there have been various developments regarding maritime security in East Asia.

   Entering by Chinese Coast Guard vessels into the Japanese contiguous zone around the Senkaku Islands have been confirmed on an ongoing basis. During this period, the intrusions into Japan's territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands also occurred intermittently.

   In addition to this, the Chinese navy and air force have also been active around Japan. On April 1 and 2, the Chinese military conducted large-scale military exercises in the sea and airspace surrounding Taiwan. In the South China Sea, there have been reports of developments related to the strengthening of China's military capabilities.

   At the same time, there have been moves of strengthening of ties and cooperation with allies and like-minded countries, such as the Japan-U.S. defense ministers' meeting, the implementation of Japan-U.S.-Philippines cooperative exercise, and the expression of deep concern by G7 countries about military exercises by the Chinese military in the vicinity of Taiwan.