The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force on Wednesday made its first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait in response to the intrusion by a Chinese reconnaissance aircraft into Japan’s sovereign airspace last month, Yomiuri Shimbun reported yesterday.
The Japanese news platform reported that the destroyer JS Sazanamisailed down through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, citing sources in the Japanese government with knowledge of the matter.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi declined to comment on the reports at a regular briefing because they concern military operations.
Photo courtesy of the Japanese Ministry of Defense
Military vessels from New Zealand and Australia also sailed through the Strait on the same day, Wellington’s defense ministry said yesterday.
One of its ships, the HMNZS Aotearoa, made its first passage through the Taiwan Strait in seven years, alongside the Australian guided missile destroyer HMAS Sydney to assert the “right of freedom of navigation,” a defense source said.
The official added that the mission was not conducted with Japan.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The three nations were scheduled to engage in a joint military exercise in the South China Sea yesterday, Japanese media reported.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ordered the transit as a response to the incursion last month by a Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Y-9 reconnaissance aircraft into Japanese airspace after consulting with his Cabinet, the report said.
The Chinese aircraft entered Japan’s airspace at 11:29am on Aug. 26 from east of the Danjo Islands and left the area at 11:31am.
On Wednesday last week, the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning and two other PLA ships entered Japan’s contiguous zone while sailing through the area between Japan-governed Yonaguni Island and Iriomote Island.
Bec Strating, professor of international relations at La Trobe University, said Japan’s reported Taiwan Strait transit “is part of a broader pattern of greater naval presence by countries in and beyond Asia that are concerned about China’s maritime assertions.”
“Japan in particular has been dealing with China’s ‘gray zone’ tactics in the East China Sea,” including an increasing number of coast guard vessels sailing close to disputed islands in the region, she said.
The US and Canada have sailed through the Taiwan Strait numerous times before.
On Sept. 13, a German frigate and a supply ship sailed through the Taiwan Strait en route to Jakarta, marking the first such transit in 22 years.
It was followed on Tuesday last week by the passage of a US P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft through the Strait.
The next day, China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier sailed through the waters northeast of Taiwan, followed by the incursion on Monday of a Russian Il-38 patrol aircraft near Japan’s Hokkaido.
Additional reporting by Aaron Tu
CHAOS: Iranians took to the streets playing celebratory music after reports of Khamenei’s death on Saturday, while mourners also gathered in Tehran yesterday Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the US, throwing the future of the Islamic republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability. Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency announced the 86-year-old’s death early yesterday. US President Donald Trump said it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country. The announcements came after a joint US and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites. Trump said the “heavy and pinpoint bombing” would continue through the week or as long
TRUST: The KMT said it respected the US’ timing and considerations, and hoped it would continue to honor its commitments to helping Taiwan bolster its defenses and deterrence US President Donald Trump is delaying a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan to ensure his visit to Beijing is successful, a New York Times report said. The weapons sales package has stalled in the US Department of State, the report said, citing US officials it did not identify. The White House has told agencies not to push forward ahead of Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), it said. The two last month held a phone call to discuss trade and geopolitical flashpoints ahead of the summit. Xi raised the Taiwan issue and urged the US to handle arms sales to
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 12:37pm today, with clear shaking felt across much of northern Taiwan. There were no immediate reports of damage. The epicenter of the quake was 16.9km east-southeast of Yilan County Hall offshore at a depth of 66.8km, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. The maximum intensity registered at a 4 in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳) on Taiwan’s seven-tier scale. Other parts of Yilan, as well as certain areas of Hualien County, Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu County, Taichung and Miaoli County, recorded intensities of 3. Residents of Yilan County and Taipei received
Taiwan has secured another breakthrough in fruit exports, with jujubes, dragon fruit and lychees approved for shipment to the EU, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency on Thursday received formal notification of the approval from the EU, the ministry said, adding that the decision was expected to expand Taiwanese fruit producers’ access to high-end European markets. Taiwan exported 126 tonnes of lychees last year, valued at US$1.48 million, with Japan accounting for 102 tonnes. Other export destinations included New Zealand, Hong Kong, the US and Australia, ministry data showed. Jujube exports totaled 103 tonnes, valued at
RSS