Two Chinese warships pass through Tsugaru Strait

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
The Defense Ministry

Two Chinese Navy ships were spotted navigating through the Tsugaru Strait toward the Pacific Ocean, the Defense Ministry announced Thursday.

Meanwhile, seven Russian Navy vessels, including a destroyer, are deployed in the Pacific Ocean, and might be conducting joint training exercises with the Chinese vessels, one of which was an intelligence-gathering ship.

According to the ministry, the two Chinese vessels were spotted in waters about 130 kilometers southwest of Cape Tappi in Aomori Prefecture at around 9 a.m. on Thursday. The seven Russian warships were sighted in waters about 180 kilometers southeast of Cape Inubo in Chiba Prefecture. None of the vessels trespassed into Japan’s territorial waters.