Japan released images of China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier moving near the country on September 18 – Photo: AFP
China said on September 19 that its aircraft carrier Liaoning was on a routine training mission in the western Pacific and denied Tokyo’s accusation that the ship had violated Japanese waters.
Earlier, Japan’s Defense Ministry said that the Liaoning aircraft carrier and two escort destroyers were moving between the southern Japanese islands of Yonaguni and Iriomote, which are near the Japanese-controlled Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.
According to the Japanese government, this is the first time a Chinese aircraft carrier has entered its contiguous zone, about 24 nautical miles from the Japanese coast. It is the latest development in a long-running maritime dispute between Beijing and Tokyo.
“This incident is completely unacceptable from the perspective of the security environment of Japan and the region, and we have expressed our serious concerns to the Chinese side through diplomatic channels,” Japanese government spokesman Hiroshi Moriya said.
Tokyo said it would continue to closely monitor the activities of Chinese naval vessels in surrounding waters.
Responding on September 19, China’s Ministry of National Defense affirmed that its ships were conducting exercises in accordance with international law. The ministry did not specify the exact location of the fleet.
“There is no need for the relevant parties to over-interpret,” Reuters news agency quoted China’s Defense Ministry as saying.
China’s increased military activity near Japan and around Taiwan in recent years has worried Tokyo, which has responded by beefing up its defenses to deter Beijing from using force to advance its territorial claims in the region.
Last month, Japan lodged a protest with Beijing after a Chinese naval survey ship entered Japanese waters. Tokyo also accused a Chinese spy plane of violating its airspace.