Japan and China agreed Tuesday to give two months' notification for marine research activities in each other's economic waters, setting up a framework to guard against incidents similar to one last year in which the entry of Chinese vessels into Japanese waters caused turmoil in bilateral relations.
The two governments exchanged notes on the advance notification framework in Beijing on Tuesday afternoon, a Foreign Ministry official said.
Under the new framework, the two nations must provide the names of research vessels and the people in charge, as well as the purpose, period and the place of research activities at least two months in advance. The framework takes effect Wednesday and activities planned for before April 14 must be communicated as soon as possible.
The two countries, however, left the wording over the waters subject to the notification ambiguous because they have yet to resolve differences over where the demarcation line is, the official said.
The framework says China must notify Tokyo about entering "waters near Japan in which Japan has an interest." The official said this means the same as waters claimed by Japan as its exclusive economic zone and that China acknowledges this meaning.
Japan and China clashed over the issue last year as a number of Chinese research vessels crossed into what Japan claims is its exclusive economic zone without any notification, prompting protests from Tokyo.
Foreign Minister Yohei Kono and his Chinese counterpart, Tang Jiaxuan, agreed to establish a framework for an advance notification system in August when Kono visited Beijing.
The new framework does not impose penalties for violations, but it states that the two countries must consult with each other when problems arise.