The Ministry of Defense confirmed that a Chinese Navy vessel sailing in the Pacific Ocean passed through the Osumi Strait in Kagoshima Prefecture on the 15th and headed toward China. In the vicinity, the Maritime Self-Defense Force's escort ships were on alert, and NHK cameras captured the situation.
A total of three ships passed through the Osumi Strait: a Chinese Navy missile destroyer, a frigate, and a supply ship.
At around 15:11 a.m. on the 3th, an NHK helicopter photographed the ship sailing from the Pacific Ocean toward China in the Osumi Strait off Kuchierabu Island in Kagoshima Prefecture.
In the immediate vicinity of the three vessels, we could also see a Maritime Self-Defense Force escort vessel and a Japan Coast Guard patrol boat tracking and monitoring.
The Osumi Strait is a "designated sea area" where foreign vessels, including warships, are allowed to navigate, and the passage of Chinese Navy vessels was not confirmed three years ago, but
it was
confirmed three times in Otoshi, four times last year,
and
this is the seventh time this time.
According to the Ministry of Defense, two of the three vessels, excluding a supply ship, were confirmed to be sailing in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Miyakojima in Okinawa Prefecture earlier this month with other vessels, including an aircraft carrier.
The Ministry of Defense continues to monitor the situation as it believes that China is trying to increase the operational capabilities of its ships in the far seas as it intensifies its maritime expansion.