August 19, 2026

The summer fishing moratorium in the East China Sea has partially ended, and the fishing season has officially opened in the South China Sea. During this time, social media is awash with videos of fishermen showing off their fully loaded catches as they return to port, while tourists make special trips to taste "the first fresh catch of the fishing season" - a common yet heartwarming scene of bountiful harvests along China's coastline. 

However, some Japanese media outlets are watching this bustling scene with a suspicious eye. They claim that the Japanese government is closely monitoring the movements of these Chinese fishing vessels, suggesting that the large-scale departure of fishing boats might be part of the so-called "militia training" - forcibly linking these scenes of everyday life to tense, confrontational conflict.

In recent years, at the end of the time of China's fishing moratorium, Japanese media have almost always followed a fixed playbook: First, they forecast that "large numbers of Chinese fishing vessels are about to set sail"; next, they report that "the Japan Coast Guard is stepping up vigilance"; and immediately afterward, they circulate unverified reports such as "suspicious vessels entering the contiguous zone" or "suspected militia vessels gathering." This formulaic approach has long strayed from basic facts, evolving into a political narrative that has been repeatedly rehearsed.

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https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202608/1368506.shtml