Japan Coast Guard plans to buy three jets, four patrol vessels next year

The Japan Coast Guard is reportedly planning to request a budget of $484m for 2015, in a bid to bolster security of territorial waters surrounding Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

Additional funding will be used for the procurement of three jets and four small patrol vessels; increase personnel assigned to ten large patrol vessels; as well as to improve its facilities at Ishigaki port in Okinawa, according to Japan Times.

Amid rising intrusion of Chinese vessels into Japanese territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands, the Japan Coast Guard also plans to establish a specialised team to secure those territorial waters from April.

Currently operating a fleet of four jet aircraft and 23 propeller-driven planes, the Japan Coast Guard plans to deploy the additional jet aircraft to guard the territorial waters as well as to carry out rescue operations at sea.

Japan is also working on an around-the-clock air patrol system as well as to beef up maritime policing of the area surrounding the Senkakus.

Both China and Taiwan claim the Japanese-ruled Senkaku Islands by calling them Diaoyu and Tiaoyutai respectively.

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