NHK reported this afternoon that a total of four Chinese Coast Guard vessels entered Japanese territorial waters near the disputed Senkaku Islands for about 90 minutes this morning, saying that as of noon on Friday the vessels were operating in the contiguous waters. The network said the this is the first time for Chinese Coast Guard vessels to enter the Japanese waters near the Senkakus since Aug. 7, adding that so far this year the Chinese vessels have entered the Japanese waters near the disputed islands on 16 days. According to the network, MOFA Asia and Oceanian Affairs Bureau chief Kanasugi lodged a protest with China through the deputy chief of mission of the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo as well as a diplomatic channel in Beijing saying that the Senkaku Islands are an integral part of Japan and that intruding into the territorial waters is a violation of Japan’s sovereignty.