Chinese ships leave Japanese waters

Chinese ships leave Japanese waters 

Japan's Coast Guard says 3 Chinese government ships that entered Japanese territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea have left the waters.

The guard says the Chinese maritime surveillance vessels intruded waters off Uotsuri Island, one of the Senkakus, at between half past one and a little after 3 PM on Monday.

The 3 ships belonging to China's State Oceanic Administration stayed in the waters for about 6 hours before they left late in the afternoon.

The Coast Guard patrols are warning the ships not to approach the Japanese waters.

This is the first time in 10 days that Chinese government ships have been spotted entering Japanese waters around the islands which are controlled by Japan, and claimed by China and Taiwan.

Coast Guard officials have counted 20 such incidents since September, when the Japanese government purchased some of the islands from a private Japanese owner.Media agencies