A Chinese aircraft carrier made its first temporary incursion into Japan’s contiguous waters on Wednesday, as reported by Japan’s public broadcaster NHK. This incident marks another potential escalation in tensions between the two nations.

The carrier navigated between the southern islands of Yonaguni and Iriomote, entering a zone that extends up to 24 nautical miles from Japan’s coastline, where the country can exercise certain controls as outlined by the United Nations. The Japanese defense ministry has not yet provided a comment on the situation.

Last month, Japan filed a formal protest with China after a Chinese naval survey vessel entered its waters, following an airspace violation. Additionally, in July, a Japanese destroyer made an uncommon foray into Chinese territorial waters near Taiwan, according to reports from Japanese media.

The increase in Chinese military operations near Japan and around Taiwan in recent years has raised alarms in Tokyo, prompting Japan to enhance its defense capabilities in an effort to deter Beijing from employing military force to assert its territorial claims in the region.

On Wednesday morning, Taiwan’s defense ministry reported the detection of a Chinese aircraft carrier group navigating through waters off its eastern coast, heading towards Yonaguni, Japan’s southernmost island, located approximately 110 km (69 miles) east of Taiwan.

China, which considers the democratically governed Taiwan as part of its territory, has been conducting regular military exercises around the island for the past five years to exert pressure on Taiwan to acknowledge Beijing’s sovereignty claims, despite strong opposition from Taipei.

The ministry indicated that the Chinese vessels, led by the Liaoning, the oldest of China’s three aircraft carriers, were observed in the early hours of Wednesday moving through waters to the northeast of Taiwan. Subsequently, the group proceeded southeast towards Yonaguni, which is visible from Taiwan on clear days. Taiwan has been monitoring the ships and has deployed its forces for surveillance, as stated by the ministry.