▲ A Chinese Navy missile destroyer conducting live-fire drills in Japan's EEZ
Japan's Ministry of Defense announced today (July 21) that Chinese and Russian naval forces conducted combat exercises in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on July 19, and that a Chinese vessel carried out machine gun firing drills.
According to local media including Kyodo News, the Joint Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces stated that four naval vessels from China and Russia were navigating southwest of Okinotorishima, Tokyo, around 2:00 a.m. on July 19. The report noted that one Chinese missile destroyer conducted firing drills approximately 180 kilometers southwest of Okinotorishima.
Kyodo News reported that the exercise appears to be part of the joint maritime drills in the Pacific previously announced by China and Russia. The vessels involved included two Chinese missile destroyers, one supply ship, and one Russian frigate.
The Ministry of Defense explained that this is the first time it has confirmed and publicly announced a Chinese vessel conducting firing drills within Japan's EEZ.
The ministry stated that it has lodged a protest with the Chinese side through diplomatic channels, noting that China's firing drills could threaten the safety of vessels navigating in the vicinity.
No damage to nearby vessels from the Chinese firing drills has been reported.
Prior to the ministry's announcement, Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who is attending an air show in the United Kingdom, pointed out in a keynote speech on July 20 (local time) that "Chinese and Russian naval vessels conducted combat exercises within Japan's EEZ," adding that "China and Russia are strengthening their military cooperation."
Defense Minister Koizumi met with his counterparts from the U.K. and Italy to emphasize cooperation through the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a next-generation fighter jet development project being pursued by the three nations.
According to NHK, he emphasized during his keynote speech at the air show that "defense production capacity is deterrence itself," and that "the defense industry can no longer be completed by one country alone, and cooperation with friendly nations such as those in Europe is inevitable for Japan."
Following the Japanese government's decision in April to allow the export of lethal weapons in principle, Japan's Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency participated in the U.K. air show, one of the world's largest aviation exhibitions, for the first time.
(Photo: Captured from Japan Ministry of Defense Joint Staff materials, Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.