Four Chinese ships were spotted near the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea on Saturday.

Japan's Coast Guard reported that its patrol vessels spotted four Chinese Coast Guard ships near the Senkaku Islands on Saturday morning. The ships sailed for at least one hour in Japanese territorial waters before leaving it. 

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The Haijing 2101, the Haijing 2401, the Haijing 2502 and the Haijing 35115 entered Japanese waters north-northwest of Uotsurijima, the largest of the Japanese-administered East China Sea islands, between 10:05 a.m. and 10:20 a.m, Japan's coast guard said in a statement. "[The] ships left the waters west-southwest of Uotsurijima between 11:45 a.m. and 12:05 p.m.," the statement added.

Last week, Japan lodged a formal diplomatic protest with Beijing over a similar incident after Chinese coast guard ships entered into its territorial waters near the Senkaku islands. Tokyo had expressed its displeasure over the incident saying that Senkaku group of islands in the East China Sea are "an inherent territory of Japan."

The two Asian powers have been engaged in a bitter dispute over the ownership of the uninhabited Senkaku islets in the East China Sea.

China continues to build up its military infrastructure in the contested waters. Japan, however, considers China's military presence in the region to be "provocative" and a threat to its sovereign boundaries in the East China Sea.

Meanwhile, Japan is also supporting the Philippines in its territorial dispute with China over the outh China Sea. In July, an international arbitration tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines and rejected Beijing's historic ownership claims over territories in the South China Sea.

TagsEast China Sea, East China Sea dispute, Senkaku Islands, china, Japan