Japan lodges protest over Chinese survey ship in its territorial waters

TOKYO — Japan lodged a formal protest via China's embassy against what it called an incursion by a Chinese survey ship into its territorial waters Saturday, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said. The ministry expressed “strong concern” after the ship was spotted near Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, early in the morning. The Chinese ship, confirmed in territorial waters at 6 a.m., left shortly before 8 a.m., according to Japan's Defense Ministry, adding it was monitored by a Japanese military vessel and plane.