East China Sea

Japan's top diplomat Takeshi Iwaya expressed "serious concerns" to his Chinese counterpart over Beijing's increasing military activity, Tokyo said Wednesday.

Iwaya also told Wang Yi in Beijing that "Japan is closely monitoring the Taiwan situation and recent military developments", a Japanese foreign ministry statement said.

Taiwan raised alarms as it identified six Chinese military aircraft and four naval vessels in the vicinity between 6 am on January 14 and 6 am on January 15, according to reports from Taiwan News.

Two United States Navy warships have entered the Taiwan Strait in the first such transit since China staged unprecedented military drills around the island post US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit.

More than 50 US and Japanese warplanes flew over waters off Japan this week amid rising tensions with China and Russia

Japan lodged a protest with China on Monday over a Chinese naval vessel sailing near disputed islands, a Japanese official said, as reports emerged of Russia also sending its own navy ship to the area.

The islets in the East China Sea, known as the Senkaku by Tokyo and the Diaoyu by Beijing, are at the centre of a long-running dispute between Japan and China.

Some countries appear to view freedom of the seas as "up for grabs" in the South China Sea, imposing superfluous warnings and restrictions that threaten stability, a U.S. Navy commander said on Oct. 6 in comments apparently aimed at China.