Just one day before the Prime Minister of Japan is anticipated to discuss escalating tensions in the Indo-Pacific at a meeting with correspondents from South Korea and the United States, Japan’s leader voiced “grave concerns” as some warships from China and Russia cruised close to its southern borders on Thursday.
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According to the Japanese defence ministry, on Thursday, six Chinese ships, including missile destroyers, and 5 Russian ships, including some destroyers, travelled through Japan’s Okinawa Island and Miyako Island before heading toward the East China Sea.
It is the very first time that Chinese and Russian ships have travelled through this particular body of water together. The ships avoided entering Japan’s exclusive economic zone but were successful in giving a good scare to the Japanese.
In accordance with a press release from the defence ministry, eleven naval ships were initially detected 280 kilometres (or 174 miles) northeast of Japan’s southernmost island, Okinotori Island, on Tuesday morning during local time.
Display Of Power By China and Russia
According to the report, the ships are thought to have participated in a joint patrol in the Pacific. Following joint drills in the Sea of Japan in July, the majority of them were previously seen sailing via the Soya Strait between Hokkaido and Sakhalin to the Sea of Okhotsk, according to the statement.
The East China Sea is now being patrolled by a detachment of ships, according to a message on the Russian Ministry of Defense’s official Telegram account. According to the Russian ministry, Chinese and Russian sailors engaged in anti-submarine drills, resisted a fictitious enemy air raid, conducted rescue missions at the coast, and rehearsed helicopter landings and takeoffs on battleship decks.
China and Russia have frequently executed joint naval and aviation drills close to Japan in the past few years, according to Japan’s defence ministry, which are “clearly designed as an exhibition of power towards Japan” and are of “serious concern” to the country’s security.
It further stated that Tokyo has used diplomatic channels to express its worries regarding these cooperative actions.
Since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine 18 months ago, Japan’s relations with Russia have gotten worse. In addition to sanctioning Moscow with its Western partners, Tokyo has also promised billions in humanitarian aid for Kiev.
The First Ever Trilateral Summit
The event in question on Thursday occurred before the first-ever trilateral summit between the US, Japan, and South Korea, whose leaders are scheduled to meet on Friday at Camp David, the retreat of the US president. According to senior Biden administration officials, they are anticipated to decide to expand their defence, technological, and commercial collaboration there.
The meeting will also act as an exhibition of strength as the nations deal with security issues like North Korea’s provocative actions and a rising China’s military manoeuvres.
Given the historically tense relations between Seoul and Tokyo, including a disagreement involving the two nations over forced labour performed by Japan during its control of Korea, the meeting is especially relevant.
A report from a South Korean legislature provided information by the nation’s intelligence service, Seoul believes Pyongyang is planning an ICBM launch and other “provocations” in the lead up to Friday’s summit or the forthcoming joint military exercises between the US and South Korea that will start the following week.
