5 Russian Warships Sail near Okinawa’s main island

Jiji Press

11:37 JST, June 20, 2022

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Five Russian navy ships on Sunday afternoon sailed north between the main island of Okinawa Prefecture and the island of Miyakojima, part of the southernmost Japan prefecture, before traveling toward the East China Sea, the Japanese Defense Ministry said.

None of the ships, which included a destroyer and frigates, violated Japanese territorial waters, according to the ministry.

Ships from the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, including a destroyer, spotted the five Russian warships sailing toward the East China Sea around 4 p.m., the ministry said.

Earlier this month, the five and two other Russian navy ships operated in waters off Cape Erimo in the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido and then traveled near the Izu Islands, located in the Pacific and belonging to Tokyo, after sailing off Cape Inubo in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo.

The MSDF continues to monitor the ships’ activities.