Senkaku Islands. - Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
TOKYO: The Japan Coast Guard (JCG) is planning the construction of its largest-ever multipurpose patrol vessel to beef up its capability to cope with Chinese vessels that repeatedly intrude on Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, several government sources said.
The plan calls for the new vessel to function as an “offshore base” capable of carrying a number of small boats and to deter incursions onto the islands. The ship is also envisioned to be used to evacuate residents on remote islands in the event of a contingency in Taiwan.
