Chinese Carrier Sails in EEZ near Minamitori Island; Japanese MSDF Vessels Observe No Dangerous Behavior

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:20 JST, June 9, 2025

The Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning was sailing on Saturday in waters about 300 kilometers southwest of Minamitori Island, including within Japan’s exclusive economic zone around the island, the Defense Ministry has announced.

Fighter jets and helicopters are also confirmed to have taken off from and landed on the Liaoning in waters near there on Sunday.

An Aegis ship of the Maritime Self-Defense Force was on alert, but no dangerous behavior was observed.

This is the first time that the ministry has confirmed and announced the activity of a Chinese aircraft carrier to the east of the “second island chain” connecting the Izu Islands with Guam, where there are U.S. military facilities.

China is deepening its military confrontation with the United States. With a Taiwan contingency in mind, it is said to be formulating a strategy to block the movement of U.S. forces between the second island chain and the first island chain (from southern Kyushu to Taiwan), to prevent them from entering the area to the west of the first island chain, which is closer to China.

This time, the carrier was deployed further east across the second island chain. “China is believed to be planning to improve its aircraft carrier operational capabilities and its ability to conduct operations in the distant sea-air area,” an official of the Joint Staff of the Defense Ministry said.

Regarding the Liaoning’s movements, the ministry announced May 25 that it had sailed through the East China Sea, about 200 kilometers north of Kuba Island, part of the Senkaku Islands, in Okinawa Prefecture. Fighter jets and helicopters landed on and took off from it, the ministry said.

That was the first case in which the ministry announced the landing and takeoff of a ship-borne fighter jet from a Chinese aircraft carrier in the East China Sea.

The Liaoning then moved into the Pacific Ocean, passing between Okinawa Island and Miyako Island on May 27. It repeatedly had its ship-borne aircraft land and take off in the waters south of Miyako Island and east of the Philippines. The Liaoning is also accompanied by missile destroyers and a fast combat support ship.