A group of 10 naval vessels from China and Russia on Monday sailed through a strait separating Japan’s main island and its northern island of Hokkaido, the Japanese government said yesterday, adding that it is closely watching such activities.
It was the first time Japan has confirmed the passage of Chinese and Russian naval vessels sailing together through the Tsugaru Strait, which separates the Sea of Japan from the Pacific.
While the strait is regarded as international waters, Japan’s ties with China have long been plagued by conflicting claims over a group of tiny East China Sea islets. Tokyo has a territorial dispute with Moscow, as well.
“The government is closely watching Chinese and Russian naval vessels’ activities around Japan like this one with high interest,” Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki told a regular news conference.
“We will continue to do our utmost in our surveillance activity in waters and airspace around Japan,” he said.
A Japanese Ministry of Defense spokesperson said there had been no breaches of Japanese territorial waters and no international rules were broken by the passage of the vessels.
Russia and China held joint naval drills in the Sea of Japan as part of naval cooperation between the two countries from Thursday last week to Sunday involving warships and support vessels from Russia’s Pacific Fleet.
Moscow and Beijing have cultivated closer military and diplomatic ties in recent years as ties with the West have soured.
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