China sends thousands of fishing boats off the coast of Japan, but they don't seem to be there for the fish
Fishing boats from Jiangsu., China. Credit line: Imaginechina / ddp USA / Profimedia
Thousands of Chinese fishing vessels appeared in tight formations near Japanese-administered waters, according to satellite images released on February 12. This unusually close arrangement of the boats, atypical for fishing activities, raises questions about their purpose, according to the Indian Defense Review.
The ships, with the Chinese flag flying on board, were spotted during repeated satellite passes over the East China Sea in late January and early February. Analysts quoted in regional media say the density and relative immobility of vessels differs from the usual seasonal fishing tides.
Japanese officials have not publicly attributed the deployments to an official state directive, but have described their scale as unusual.
The waters involved include areas around the Senkaku Islands, administered by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing – a point of maritime tension for more than a decade.
“A floating wall” in contested waters
According to the satellite images analyzed, the vessels are positioned in coordinated, very tight groups, rather than the dispersed groups associated with commercial fishing. These vessels span wide sections of disputed waters.
Japanese officials said, according to Nikkei Asia magazine, that the patterns and scale of these operations differed from previous years.
WATCH: Formations of thousands of Chinese fishing boats stir worries in Japan
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A ship was seized
Less than 24 hours after the images were released, Japanese authorities seized a Chinese fishing vessel suspected of violating Japanese fishing laws after it entered Japanese territorial waters. The captain was detained for questioning.
The capture of the Chinese fishing vessel marked the first publicly confirmed seizure of these clustered boats.
Japan's coast guard and patrol aircraft monitored the groups of ships and issued radio warnings when the ships approached territorial waters. The coast guard did not provide a total number of foreign vessels, but described the activity as widespread.
Japanese fisheries legislation allows the detention of foreign vessels operating without authorization in territorial waters. Over the past decade, legal action has been taken intermittently, usually involving a smaller number of vessels. The current episode differs in scale, with thousands of ships visible on satellite images.
“Grey Area” Tactics
China and Japan are engaged in an ongoing dispute over the sovereignty of waters and islands in the East China Sea, particularly around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, administered by Japan but claimed by Beijing.
According to the Asia Times, the Chinese use coordinated fishing fleets as part of an unconventional arsenal of maritime influence. The strategy is to create a persistent presence in disputed waters without directly escalating into an open military conflict.
By turning hundreds of thousands of fishing vessels into weapons, alongside the Chinese Navy (PLAN) and Coast Guard (CCG), Beijing has developed a “grey zone” militia strategy that threatens to block US and allied naval forces in the event of a conflict in the South China Sea or an emergency in Taiwan.
