Various activities have been observed in the waters and airspace surrounding Japan. In the waters surrounding the Senkaku Islands, Chinese coast guard vessels continue to be active. According to data released by Japan Joint Staff on January 23, 2/3 of the all scrambles by Japan Air Self-Defense Force during the most recent period were against Chinese aircraft. A scramble is an emergency response by Japan Air Self-Defense Force to aircraft that are suspected of violating Japanese airspace. The fact that 2/3 of these incidents are against Chinese aircraft is a clear indication of the concentration of such incidents in the southwestern region of Japan.

The new Trump administration took office in the United States on January 20. It remains to be seen whether this will cause any changes in the future activities of the countries concerned, or nothing will change.

[Statistical Data as of January 30]

Japan Coast Guard (JCG) daily updates the statistical data on the number of China Coast Guard vessels entering in the contiguous zone around the Senkaku Islands and intruding into Japanese territorial waters. The below is from the website of JCG.

https://www.kaiho.mlit.go.jp/mission/senkaku/senkaku.html

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What is happening in East Asian Maritime Security? The Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS) publishes the biweekly newsletter, “East Asian Maritime Security (EAMS)” and updates the information on maritime security relevant to East Asia and Japan's territory.