10 China, Russia Warships Pass through Soya Strait
12:27 JST, July 30, 2023
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — A total of 10 Chinese and Russian naval vessels passed through the Soya Strait between Cape Soya in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido and the Russian island of Sakhalin from Friday to Saturday, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry.
Of the 10 vessels including destroyers and replenishment ships, nine were those that joined China-Russia joint military drills held in the Sea of Japan through Sunday, the ministry’s Joint Staff Office said Saturday.
Japan is continuing vigilance and surveillance activities, believing that the Chinese and Russian ships have shifted to joint sailing operations.
According to the ministry, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force spotted the 10 vessels sailing at a spot in the Sea of Japan about 200 kilometers southwest of Rebun Island in Hokkaido around 3 p.m. Friday.
They sailed east through the Soya Strait from Friday night to Saturday morning and entered the Sea of Okhotsk.
It was the first China-Russia joint naval vessel sailing near Japan since September last year, when seven Chinese and Russian ships traveled from the Tsugaru Strait between Hokkaido and Japan’s Honshu main island to the Osumi Strait in Kagoshima prefecture, southwestern Japan.
China and Russia have been deepening their military cooperation. In June this year, Chinese and Russian bombers flew near Japan for two days in a row.
"Politics" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Promotes Revised NISA Investment Program to Young People; Kishida Focusing on Moving Money From Savings to Investment in a Safe Environment
-
“High Probability” 2 MSDF Patrol Helicopters Collided near Torishima Island; 1 Dead, 7 Others Onboard Missing (Update 2)
-
Russia to Ban Non-Registered Vessels from Waters Around Northern Territories From April 11 to 17
-
Japan-U.K. Foreign Ministers Confirm Deepening Cooperation in Security Field; Kamikawa Underscores Importance of NATO Ties
-
Japan Ruling Party Struggles in ‘Kingdom of Conservatives’; Liberal Democratic Party Battered By Fundraising Scandal
JN ACCESS RANKING
- China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration
- Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
- U.S. 7th Fleet officer Arrested on Suspicion of Stealing Sushi, Sashimi, Chicken at Kanagawa Shopping Mall; Suspect Caught Mid-Meal
- UNRWA Director Describes Catastrophic Destruction in Gaza; Says Relief Trucks Robbed, ‘People’s Hearts Destroyed’
- JAL Airplane Experiences Radio Malfunction During Flight, Lands Safely By Relying on Light Signals