Japan establishes a permanent force to protect the Senkaku Islands.

The Japanese Coast Guard announced today, January 11th, the formation of a 12-ship patrol squadron in the waters surrounding the disputed islands with China, which Japan calls Senkaku and Beijing calls Diaoyu.

A special group of 400 coast guard soldiers has been assigned to this force to deal with recent repeated incursions by China, according to the Asahi Shimbun. Due to insufficient numbers, the coast guard is considering extending the retirement age for some soldiers. According to Asahi, the Japanese coast guard currently has 12,000 personnel, of which 2,500 are 55 years old or older.

A Japanese coast guard vessel (below) and a Chinese maritime surveillance ship in the disputed waters - Photo: japantimes.co.jp

To establish a fleet of 12 patrol vessels, the government may have to request an expansion of the budget in the projected budget for this fiscal year submitted to parliament, to build six new 1,000-ton vessels.

Along with the launch of the 6,500-ton patrol vessel Akitsushima this fall, Japan had previously planned to decommission two 3,000-ton vessels. However, these two ships will now be refurbished to increase their top speed in order to respond to incursions from China. Coast Guard patrol vessels are typically used for 25 years, but the new plan will extend their service life by another 15 years.

Four 1,000-ton vessels, built with state budget funds, are expected to join the fleet in 2014. Two more vessels will be added in 2015.

Since the Japanese government purchased three islands in the archipelago from private ownership in September 2012, Chinese vessels have repeatedly entered the waters surrounding the islands, a total of 21 times, according to statistics from the Japanese coast guard.

According to Tuoi Tre - DT