Japan confirms sub spotted near Senkakus was Chinese: sources

The Japanese government said Friday it has confirmed that a submarine spotted near Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea the day before was a Chinese naval vessel.Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said the submarine surfaced Thursday flying a Chinese flag on its mast. "This unilaterally heightens tensions," Onodera told reporters.(Photo courtesy of Defense Ministry)Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Shinsuke Sugiyama lodged a protest with Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua over the submarine's entry into the contiguous zone, telling Cheng the action "is a s…READ FULL ARTICLE