At around 3:20 a.m. on Monday, December 19, 2020, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) launched a Chinese Navy Shupan-class survey ship (ship number “26”) in the waters about 50 km southeast of Tanegashima (Kagoshima Prefecture).
It was confirmed that the vessel was proceeding westward in the same waters. After that, the survey ship entered Japan’s contiguous zone south of Tanegashima, and at around 6:50 am on the same day, it was confirmed that it entered Japan’s territorial waters south of Yakushima.
Later, at around 10:30 a.m. on the same day, we confirmed that the survey ship had left Japan’s territorial waters west of Kuchinoerabu Island (Kagoshima Prefecture) and was sailing southwest.
Maritime Self-Defense Force 1st Air Group “P-1” (Kanoya) carried out necessary information gathering and warning surveillance.