China¡¯s Liaoning aircraft carrier is conducting drills this week with the country¡¯s newest frigate, the Type 054B, for the first time in the western Pacific near a remote Tokyo island, Japan¡¯s Defense Ministry has announced.
The Defense Ministry¡¯s Joint Staff confirmed the training late Tuesday, saying that the Maritime Self-Defense Force had monitored the Liaoning and four vessels accompanying the carrier about 880 kilometers southwest of Okinotorishima, Japan¡¯s southernmost island, on Monday. The MSDF also confirmed takeoff-and-landing training by carrier-based fighter jets and helicopters from the Liaoning on Tuesday.
¡°This is the first time this year that the Chinese military has confirmed and announced that one of its aircraft carriers is operating in the Pacific,¡± Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi wrote on X late Tuesday. ¡°We will continue to closely monitor related developments and ensure that we are fully prepared with our surveillance activities in the maritime and airspace surrounding Japan.¡±
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