TOKYO: A Chinese aircraft carrier has sailed between Japanese islands near Taiwan for the first time, said Japan’s military on Wednesday.
The carrier sailed between Tuesday to Wednesday near a group of uninhabited islands disputed by China and Japan that have long been a source of friction.
The Liaoning carrier and two Luyang III-class missile destroyers were sailed between the islands of Yonaguni and Iriomote, said the defence ministry’s joint staff.
“This is the first time that an aircraft carrier belonging to the Chinese Navy has been confirmed to have sailed through the waters between Yonaguni and Iriomote,” a statement said.
Japanese media citing unnamed defense sources, reported that it was the first time a Chinese aircraft carrier had sailed in Japan’s contiguous waters.
Taipei’s government earlier said a Chinese naval formation led by the Liaoning entered through waters northeast of Taiwan on Wednesday and continued its journey toward Japan’s Yonaguni Island.
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Japan has reported the presence of Chinese coast guard ships, a naval vessel, and a nuclear-powered submarine around the remote chain of islands.
Tokyo is ramping up its defense spending with the encouragement of the US and moving closer to acquiring counter-strike capabilities. Japan is also providing funding and equipment such as patrol ships to other countries in the region.
In July, Japan agreed on an agreement with the Philippines allowing troop deployments on each other’s soil. Last week Japan also scrambled fighter jets after Russian aircraft flew around disputed Islands for the first time in five years.
According to the Japanese defence ministry, the Tu-142 planes did not enter Japanese airspace but flew over an area subject to a territorial dispute between Japan and Russia.
This month Russian and Chinese warships conducted joint exercises in the Sea of Japan, which are part of a major naval drill that President Vladimir Putin said was the largest in three decades.
