According to a report by Japan’s public broadcaster NHK on Wednesday, September 18th, a Chinese aircraft carrier briefly entered the contiguous zone outside Japan’s territorial waters, further escalating tensions between the two sides.
Multiple sources indicated that in the early hours of the 18th, the Chinese navy aircraft carrier, the “Liaoning,” sailed between the Yaeyama Islands and the Iriomote Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, briefly entering the contiguous zone outside Japan’s territorial waters within 24 nautical miles of the Japanese coastline.
The contiguous zone is an area beyond territorial waters where foreign ships are allowed to navigate under international law. However, coastal states have the right to take necessary measures to prevent foreign vessels from engaging in illegal activities within their territorial waters, allowing Japan to exert partial control in this area as stipulated by the United Nations.
The Liaoning aircraft carrier was deployed to the South Pacific south of Okinawa in December last year and has reportedly conducted multiple fighter jet and helicopter landings.
Japan’s Ministry of Defense is currently analyzing the purpose of the Liaoning’s voyage and continues to monitor the carrier.
On the morning of the 18th, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense also announced that the Liaoning had passed through the northeast sea area of Taiwan and was continuing its voyage in a southeasterly direction towards the Yaeyama Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, located approximately 110 kilometers (69 miles) east of Taiwan.
The Taiwan military stated that during the Liaoning’s passage, aircraft and vessels were dispatched to closely monitor and surveil the situation.
In recent years, China’s military activities near Japan and Taiwan have been steadily increasing, causing concerns in Japan.
On August 31st, a Chinese navy survey vessel entered Japanese waters. On August 26th, Japan’s Ministry of Defense reported that a Chinese Y-9 reconnaissance aircraft violated Japan’s airspace near the Goto Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture for two minutes. This was the first confirmed intrusion by a Chinese military aircraft into Japanese airspace since Japan’s Self-Defense Forces initiated measures against airspace violations in 1958. It was also the second intrusion into Japanese territory by the Chinese military within less than a week.
In response, Japan has bolstered its defense capabilities, further solidified its alliance with the United States, and actively engaged in military cooperation with the Philippines to deter China from using military force to advance its territorial claims.